Super Mario: Apocalypse
by WildGamer
Summary: Just as peace finally comes to the Mushroom Kingdom, a new power arrives that threatens friend and foe alike. It's a race against time as Mario struggles to understand the threat he faces, and obtain the 4 legendary treasures before his many enemies.
1. The final battle, A New Life

**Chapter 1**

A New Life

Mario strapped his golden-hue hammer over his back as he looked on at the most recent foes he had defeated. In the dark, creepy, and dangerous halls of Bowser's castle lay two of the kingdom's strongest fighters, Bowser Jr. and Kamek. Both were unconscious, with the heir to the throne sporting many burn marks and spiral eyes, and the koopa advisor showing many enlarged, comical bumps on the head.

"They were much tougher this time…" Mario muttered as he started to walk away from the pair, towards the end of the hallway where two large gold-embroiled doors stood closed; marking the room in which Mario's last enemy lay. As he neared the door, he glanced one last time at the two koopas, to make sure they were down for the count. He sighed. It had taken much longer to defeat them than he had hoped. Kamek was always healing Bowser Jr., and created diversions so that the plumber had a tougher time avoiding the petit koopa's flame attack. But after knocking out Kamek's lights with his trusty hammer, it was only a matter of time before Jr. went with him.

With one kick, the large door burst open and revealed its contents to Mario. The room was large and shaped like a rectangle with 4 large pillars in the middle of each corner to support the ceiling. The flooring starting to rise at the end of the room to hold one throne, and in that seat, the one and only koopa king, Bowser, was waiting for him.

"I was waiting for you to reach here, Mario."

Bowser rose from his seat and started descending the stairs as he kept his eye on the red- wearing hero.

"You expected any less?" replied the plumber, eyes never leaving the koopa king. Bowser just laughed.

"Gwar har har har har! We've known each other for a long time, haven't we, Mario? You've always been there to foil my plans!" The large koopa had now walked past the stairs and was only a few feet away from Mario. Above them, in the middle of the room, was a cage that held the princess.

"Mario, help!" Peach pleaded.

"Let her go, Bowser," demanded Mario. He looked upon the frightened woman, with no doubt on his face or in his mind. "I don't want to have to go through this routine again. This is the 3rd time this month you've kidnapped her." Bowser smirked and then retorted.

"You know better than anyone, Mario that I'm notgoing to do that! It's time to end this rivalry once and for all!"

Both fighters knew what was coming. Both go into a battle stance. The room was quiet nothing but an eerie silence that set the stage for battle. The two competitors stared each other in the eye, neither backing down physically or emotionally.

Quickly, the koopa king breathed a large trail of fire headed for Mario's location, but the hero was too fast. He jumped over the flames and prepared to stomp his boots straight on Bowser's face.

"Not so fast!" grinned Bowser, as he immediately stopped the flames, tucked inside his shell, and leaped towards Mario planning to impale the plumber on one of his spikes. As if on impulse, Mario drew his hammer and smashed it down on the shell at contact. Using the momentum of the strike to push him out of the way of the shell, he landed on the floor gracefully. Bowser popped back out of his shell while airborne and landed on the ground with his feet, making the floor rumble softly as both fighters had their backs toward each other.

"Hey, you're getting better Bowser," said Mario, giving the koopa his deserved praise.

"The feeling's mutual, Mario," Replied Bowser who then turned around quickly, spitting out fireballs that were homed in straight for plumber. Mario quickly threw some of his own fireballs, which were small in comparison and was quickly enveloped by Bowser's. Mario rolled around, jumped and dodged the blasts sent by Bowser, who was releasing fireballs like a machine gun.

"Give it up, Mario!" Bowser mocked as he kept releasing fireballs. "Your puny flames can't keep up with the _koopa king!_"

_He's right… _Mario thought. _If I want to keep up with Bowser's flames, then __my__ flames need a power boost! _Quickly, Mario pulled a fire flower from his pocket and absorbed it. He felt his power grow as his blue overalls turned red, and his red clothing, transformed into a white cloth. Mario smirked at Bowser, the fight had only begun. Immediately he started chucking fireballs relentlessly, negating the flames of the behemoth.

"Crap!" shouted Bowser, but it was too late.

Mario ran straight at the koopa and threw a left-hand punch that hit him straight in the stomach. Before the koopa king could even react, Mario planted his right hand on the floor and used the momentum to spin clockwise and deliver a double kick to his face. Bowser was sent flying and crashed into the pillar, creating a notable crack in the structure.

Bowser slowly rose to his feet, but Mario wasn't done yet.

Rushing at the koopa again, the hero in red and white extended his right hand as red flames started to envelop his arms rapidly. The pained koopa just rose to his feet when he saw his opponent about to reach him. '_Gotta block it!' _he shouted in his mind as he started to raise his arms to his chest in defense, but Mario's punch was too powerful. The flame-covered fist broke through Bowser's guard and sent him straight through the pillar and into the hard wall. Bits and pieces of the wall fell down as Bowser got up and wiped the blood from his mouth. The burns marks on his chest and stomach were apparent that Bowser had not shrugged off Mario's patented, "Flame Knuckleduster".

Peach watched the battle from up above, in her uncomfortable prison. It was barely big enough to let her stand up, but that wasn't of importance to her at the moment. "Go Mario! Teach Bowser who the boss is!" she cheered, believing that her savior would soon be at her aid. Mario turned around and gazed at the princess, giving her a warm smile. He would get her out soon, as always.

"Big mistake!"

Seconds after he turned his back to Bowser, the koopa tucked into his shell and impaled him in the back. Mario was sent flying and skidded against the floor harshly, large bruises starting to form on his body. Coughing blood, he tried to get up on his knees, but was hit by a large fireball that sent him rolling along the floor. Quickly, Bowser leaped towards Mario's position and grabbed him with one large, clawed hand and flung him towards the wall. Crashing into the stone face-first, Mario couldn't move as his body literally peeled of the structure. Bowser had been waiting for Mario with another fire ball, this time charged, and he immediately fired it. Mario was too battered and bloody to dodge and took the flames full on, being blown away. In the explosion, the fire flower's power wore off and an unconscious Mario fell on the cold floor with a bone crunching _THUD_.

"Gwar har har har har har! It's over Mario, just admit it! You've finally lost! I told you that this would be the end!"

"MARIO!" Peach shouted in disbelief. It couldn't be! Mario's never lost before! It couldn't be possible! And it was all her fault! She could never forgive herself if he was truly down for the count.

Mario started to stir. He couldn't lose, for the princess fate. And what seemed as an unsurpassable amount of valor, the plumber who stood standing. With ragged breathing, and blood pouring from his forehead, nose, mouth, arm and back, Mario gave an intense stare to his enemy. '_I won't lose_, _not when so much is on the line.' _Bowser's eyebrow started fidgeting and a vein had popped on his forehead; he was starting to get annoyed.

"That's it, I've had enough! It's time you've stopped being a thorn in my side!"

He started charging his energy for a massive flame attack.

"It's time for my favorite part of the game…SUDDEN DEATH!"

With that proclamation, the koopa released a huge blast of fire, headed straight for Mario, who seemingly still had no energy to dodge. '_NOW!_' Mario shouted in his head. In that instance, the beam of fire enveloped Mario, and everything else in its path. Another pillar was blown away by the energy, and the ceiling, which was lacking support, was showing signs of collapsing. The blast continued for a few moments, then dissipated with remaining flames still lingering on the floor and walls. The floor where Mario stood was charred black, and the said plumber was nowhere in sight.

Bowser laughed evilly. "At last! It's over! MARIO'S BEEN DEFEATED!" The gleeful koopa king started to do a celebration dance, while Peach lay sobbing uncontrollably. The battle was seemingly finished…

Mario was defeated…

Well, that's what the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom and the King of the koopas both thought, before he appeared in Bowser's face.

"_**MARIO?!?"**_

The expression on both of their faces was priceless as the resident of the Mushroom Kingdom proceeded to kick Bowser's head in. The koopa king grabbed his stinging face with his hands and only got one glance at the plumber before he followed up with a 2 punch combo and a spinning kick that sent Bowser flying.

Peach's eyes widened as she saw him. The bruises and blood on his body was gone, and he was sparkling rapidly as he went to beat the stuffing out of Bowser. "That can only mean one thing…" she whispered as she witnessed the pummeling.

"1-up 'shroom and a Starman, aren't they such a help Bowser?" Mario asked as he jumped behind the koopa and threw him into a wall. Right before Bowser started to fall off, Mario appeared again, his speed unmatchable with a Starman. Rapidly punching him in the gut, Mario then grabbed his tail and tossed him into the third pillar, breaking it. Now, pieces of the ceiling started to fall down to the ground rapidly, and it was obvious that the room was falling apart.

"Had enough?" Mario asked as the king slowly rose from the rubble of the pillar. The koopa king slowly rose towards Mario and rushed towards him, hoping to get a hit.

"I won't be beaten by you again!" he screamed as he leaped off the ground, planning to crush Mario.

The plumber was too quick and was already behind the brute when he landed. Quickly, Mario grabbed Bowser's tail a second time and started swinging him. He did not let go as quickly, and he kept spinning faster, and faster, until Mario suddenly let go, and Bowser was sent flying as he smacked the hard wall and fell unconscious.

The match was over. But now, the pieces of the ceiling were falling down very quickly, and if he didn't get out, the battle would have been for naught.

"AHHHHH!" Mario's head snapped towards Peach, whose cage was falling because the ceiling couldn't hold it anymore. Mario quickly caught the cage with his strength and broke open the door, releasing the terrified princess.

"Oh thank you Mario!" shouted Peach giving the hero a kiss on the cheek. Mario blushed heavily but kept his head on his shoulders.

"C'mon, we've gotta get out of here before this stand blows."

Leaving Bowser, the pair started running past the door but as they navigated the dark halls of the castle, they both saw that the damage wasn't only limited to the throne room. Ceiling pieces were falling down rapidly, and many times the pair was almost crushed.

"This whole castle is going to collapse Peach! We have to get out of here!"

So as they navigated the halls, avoiding ceiling pieces and other what-not, they tried, tried so hard not to think of what would befall the koopas.

A light at the end signaled the beginning of the castle. "Hang on Peach, we're almost there!" Mario shouted. He smiled when some doubt left her face. Quickly, the light got brighter and closer, and the two found themselves outside of the castle and onto the long rope bridge. It created a path from the entrance to the inside of the volcano to Bowser's base of operations that was held over the volcano hole. Peach quickly looked back and barely saw a few more rocks fall and block the entrance.

It meant that now, no one could enter or exit the castle.

Peach's face regained its grimness as the two reached the end of the ladder. Mario gripped her hand and reached for a rope ladder that connected to a helicopter that sported the familiar logo of E. Gadd.

"Mario! Peach! E. Gadd and I came as soon as possible when you alerted us! Grab onto the rope quick!" Luigi shouted with worry inside the helicopter. E. Gadd manned the pilot's seat, punching in buttons and codes.

"Witness my newest invention, the Egaddulator-specter-seeking-air machine 2000! It can home in on any ghost signature and is self piloted! I just need to punch in these correct codes and…"

Mario and the rest of the crew stopped paying attention at the continuous ramblings of the wily professor, since his inventions weren't important at the moment. The plumber finished climbing into the helicopter and pulled up Peach as well, allowing the copter to start flying away from the volcano as castle started to fully collapse. Mario, Peach and Luigi could only watch as Bowser's headquarters broke apart and fell into the magma, taking the entire koopa troop with it. Everyone was silent.

"Mario…" Peach began. "The koopas…Bowser…they were still in there…"

"…" Mario was silent. Luigi decided not to give an input.

And as the volcano became farther and farther away, the truth was made clear:

Bowser was defeated. The koopa troop was dead.

But… no one on the plane would believe it…

-

Mario slowly rose to smell the lovely aroma of fried mushrooms and honey syrup. He could hear the soft noises of the goonies flying in the distance. Everything was quiet.

"Where am I?"

Looking around and seeing multiple familiar objects, Mario figured out that he was in his home.

"But… wasn't I in Bowser's castle last time I checked?"

Slowly, the plumber rose from his bed and realized that he was still wearing a dirty plumber outfit. He changed out of his clothes and went into the shower. Turning on the hot water, Mario's memories slowly came back to him as the clear liquid ran over his body, jumpstarting his brain.

Oh yes. He had been in Bowser's castle. After defeating the brute, he and Peach escaped the collapsing castle and got a ride from E. Gadd's new invention. After that, he couldn't remember.

Collapsing…

Why was that so important…?

It hit him like a brick.

"BOWSER!"

Quickly, Mario shut off the shower and got dressed, running into the kitchen. He saw Luigi, who was the source for those excellent aromas that he smelled when he woke up.

"Luigi, the princess! Where is she?!?"

The taller sibling chuckled softly, and continued frying the mushrooms to perfection. He added another touch of honey syrup to the mix.

"Calm down bro, she's safe and sound in the castle. You whipped Bowser good in his volcanic castle remember? Then we escaped in E. Gadd's new machine…" He trailed off, allowing his brother to remember past events. He continued cooking and cracked open two mystic eggs onto the frying pan. He was no Tayce T., but he could cook up a mean breakfast.

Mario relaxed and sat down on the table, more of the events coming back to his mind quickly. "What happened after that?" he asked.

"You passed out from exhaustion."

"Oh."

The egg was almost finished and Luigi gave Mario his plate of honey syrup covered fried mushrooms. The stout plumber quickly ravished the food, hungry as he was, and left a smear of syrup around his mouth. Luigi gave Mario the finished egg and watched him finish that too. The man-in-green sat down with his brother and slowly started on his portion.

"So…." started Mario, breaking the silence. "How are things with you and E. Gadd?"

Luigi swallowed his mouthful of egg and replied. "Oh, pretty good, besides the fact that he forces me to go into haunted houses. We've updated the Poltergust 3000, and finished that new ghost seeking copter you saw last night."

Mario nodded in approval and turned on the radio on the table.

"_This is DJ Goomsta' here and his partner B. Daddy Toad! If ya'll just tuned into the station, we were just talking about the fresh news that the princess has been rescued once again by the hero Mario, and later this evening, there has been information that the princess will have an announcement to make. Stay tuned for more!"_

"What's this?" Mario asked. Luigi shrugged his shoulders.

"_That's right, Goomsta'!" _B. Daddy Toad replied. _"Right now, we're takin' calls. Call us at 387-4388 and give us your opinion on what you think this will be about! Don't be shy people, call!"_

Silence, then the sound of some kind of transmission being picked up.

"_Hello?" _asked a nervous voice. DJ Goomsta' answered, telling the caller that he was connected.

"_Well…" _started the voice. _"Even though the princess is always here, or being kidnapped, there's never been a press conference from her before. So this might be important. I mean, it's always been peaceful here, so there was no need. I don't have a clue of what it might be, but I have a hunch that it will change the Mushroom Kingdom"_

The radio Toad thanked the caller, and another voice picked up. But by now, the bros. weren't paying attention. There was a knock at the door. Luigi got up to get it.

He opened the door to see a frantic toad, jumping up and down frantically.

_Oh boy, here we go again… _thought the tall mustachioed one.

"Luigi?" said Toad with obvious disappointment. "I don't have time for this!"

Pushing Luigi away, Toad headed into the house looking for Mario.

"Mario! The princess calls for you! She says it's important!"

The older sibling thanked the Toad, grabbed a mushroom and headed out the door.

"Hey Mario, think I should come?" asked Luigi.

Before his brother could answer, the messenger Toad interjected.

"_Well, _I was told to call _Mario _and Mario _only. _I'm _sure_ that the princess would call on you if you were _needed_. So I would say no. Go Mario, I'll catch up with you."

As Mario left quickly, the mean-spirited Toad waited a moment to smirk at Luigi with obvious superiority.

"You'll never be as good as Mario!" He shot before he ran out the door and left a seething Luigi in the house.

_One day… one day I'll show him… _thought the plumber as he sat alone at the table, and finished his meal as he listened to a caller rant about the announcement on the radio.

-

In a damp, sewer-like setting, two suspicious figures, one tall and one small, chatted silently.

"So, do you have enough beans for the plan?" asked the tall one.

"Oh yes, great mistress of which I have unlimited admiration for! I am having enough of the beans to power up my device which will be bringing pain and destruction to all! I have been selling stupid badges to fink-rats that are having no brain power for them! Such foolish fink-rats are having no idea of the usefulness of the bean, and I will be having the destroying of them once this is over!"

"Good, good." replied the tall figure. "There must be no mistakes when the time comes for the _**plan**_ to take fruition. I'm going now to tell the boss we're ready, and then prepare for the diversion. Go and work on your weapons."

The short one complied. "Oh yes! I, who is your lowly toady, will immediately have working on my weapons which spell despair for others!" The toady cackled, but then his face changed as if he tasted something sour.

"But…" he drawled. "I am not having the liking of this boss of superiorness. I am hoping that we will be being the ones that will have taking over of the world?"

As the tall one was about to answer, a gloomba spotted the two.

"HEY! If you wanna get out of these sewers intact, then I suggest you give me all of your coins and scram!"

The tall one and the short one ignored the small, grotesque thing and continued their plotting.

"HEY!" shouted the gloomba. "I'M TALKING TO YOU! THAT'S IT! THE GLOVES ARE COMING OFF!" Furiously, the small mushroom thing rushed at the tall one, preparing for a head butt.

**BANG.**

As soon as the gloomba jumped, the tall one moved her hand and a bolt of lightning struck the gloomba, killing it instantly.

"Don't waste my time."

The toady looked at his boss with awe, his smile stretching from ear to ear. "Wonderful work mistress! You had the disposing of that fink-rat with utter quickness and painfulness!"

The tall one cackled.

"Eeyah ha ha ha ha ha! Don't worry about the boss; we'll take care of him later. But for now… just remember the plan!"

And as she laughed into the darkness of the Mushroom Kingdom basement, Mario arrived at the castle looking for Peach, with no knowledge of what would soon befall him.


	2. Premonitions and Revelations

**Sooo sorry for the lateness! I was on vacation visiting family during the break, that's why this chap came late! Hopefully you'll like this chapter and forgive me….**

**plz R&R! Because every time I read a positive review, it gives me a boost to keep writing the next chapter! Anyway, enough babbling, enjoy the next chapter!**

**-**

_**Chapter 2**_

_**Revelations and Premonitions**_

As soon as she saw the volcano in the distance, Kammy Koopa moved even faster towards the castle. She had to warn her king that Mario was on his way there.

But oh how late she was! She had gone to the battle field to survey the preparations made to defeat Mario, but when she got there, she had realized that the determined plumber had already broken through the koopa troop defenses. Rushing to the 7th castle in hopes of stopping him, she was already too late as Mario had just destroyed it and headed to their keep. Figuring that it would take at least 3 days for the plumber to get to Bowser's domain, she spent her time healing her defeated forces.

But now, even with her broom going at full speed, she hoped that she would make it there before Mario. As she flew along the landscape, she saw many of Lord Bowser's goons lying unconscious on the ground.

How was it possible that he manage to move so fast? There were enemies placed on that trail that were specially trained to defeat their enemy in the red and blue. There was NO WAY that he could've already beaten them in a day's time.

_Our forces… are getting lazy._

She knew that the castle would be unprepared. And she couldn't depend on that buffoon, Kamek, to protect it. The koopa troop would need her.

At last reaching the volcano, Kammy froze.

"No…"

The castle. It wasn't there.

Eyes widening with fear, the old koopa lowered her broom over the volcano's entrance and looked for any sign of the castle. Looking closely, she saw bits and pieces of bricks lying in the lava. She noticed that these bricks were made with titanium koopa shell, used to decorate Bowser's bedroom. The stuff was tough; it was toke a while for the magma to erode it.

_But… the bricks are almost totally melted… which means…_

The castle must've fell into the volcano at least two days ago.

Quickly, Kammy whipped out her wand and made incantations.

"**_Locate the koopas with royal blood,_**

_**Reveal their current status with energy levels so strong.**_

_**Tell me where they are with pinpoint accuracy,**_

**_For this mistress of the troop needs knowledge."_**

Suddenly, as if it were an illusion, four transparent orbs of a different color each appeared in front of her, each representing one of the royal koopas in the clan. She watched as the red orb that represented her king's energy level slowly grew smaller and faded until it totally disappeared. Her breathing became rapid as the other two orbs, light green for Bowser Jr. and blue for Kamek, slowly faded and diminished until they suffered the same fate as the first. Only one orb remained and glowed bright, the purple coloured orb, which represented Kammy Koopa herself.

The three koopas were dead.

Kammy was the only royal koopa left.

"No…" She couldn't believe it. Mario killed them… he had sunk so low as to destroy the koopa hierarchy.

She wouldn't believe it. It just couldn't be true.

Before she could even contemplate what she was doing, she had already left the site, her back turned to the burial of the koopa clan, and her king.

And eventually, long after she had left the site of the volcano, she come up with the koopa clan's only option.

To take up the mantle of leader, gather up the remaining soldiers who weren't present in the castle, and get revenge.

Mario would pay.

The same price her king did.

-

"Glad to see your okay Mario!"

Toadsworth, Peach's attendant, greeted Mario with a smile as the plumber entered the castle. The plumber gave the man a warm smile.

"Did you expect anything else?"

The elder addressed his question.

"Well, when that wily man E. Gadd delivered the princess to me, - in a quite non-luxurious way for a lady of her caliber, I may add – I asked her what happened to you. She told me everything that happened, how you gave that fiend a good smashing but fainted from exhaustion. You must have been tired for that to happen, eh wot?"

Mario nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I wanted to save Peach as soon as possible so I rushed to the castle. After we climbed aboard Gadd's copter, I just ran out of energy, I guess."

"If that occurred, then I would like to thank you for rescuing the princess as soon as possible", Toadsworth replied with sincerity. "Every time that brute gets his hands on her, my life shortens from worry. So the faster you retrieve her, the better."

The plumber sighed. He could understand why Peach said that Toadsworth was paranoid. Shortened life? He worried _way_ too much.

"Anyway, it was good talking with you but I believe that the princess is waiting for you in her room on the third floor. Need an escort to take you there?" The attendant asked.

"Nah, its okay, I've got it."

With one last wave, Mario left Toadsworth and headed up the stairs.

As he reached the second floor and headed towards the third, he pondered what Toadsworth said about Peach telling him everything.

_He never said… did Peach tell him that Bowser was dead? Or did he just choose not to talk about it in front of the other toads? I guess I'll just ask her…_

-

Luigi walked through the busy streets of the Toad Town Square, humming a cheerful tune. He had errands to run, and now that Mario had recovered and he had a break from E. Gadd, he could finally complete them.

"Now let's see…" mumbled Luigi to himself as he looked at his list of things to do. "I picked up the eggs, maple syrup, fire flowers and mushrooms… maybe I should get a refresh 'shroom for my bro too..."

Whilst looking at what he had to do for the day, he had inadvertently walked up to Merlon's home, the local wizard with a spinning roof over his living quarters. Luigi still did not notice where he was going though, and by the time he looked up, it was too late.

_**CRASH!**_

Both the clumsy plumber and the wizard were sent crashing to the floor. Luigi recovered first, and immediately apologized.

"S-sorry, Merlon! I wasn't looking!" he offered the magician a hand.

Merlon was still slightly out of it, but yet he accepted it and slowly rose from the ground.

"Oh, great timing Mario, I was - Luigi?" Merlon paused, giving a sigh of disappointment.

"Very unfortunate, I was looking for your brother…"

Luigi held his breath, the jealously in his mind increasing. Okay, he knew that Mario was a star, but did _everything _have to be about him?!? It was as it no one knew of his existence!

"Never the less, I have something to tell both of you. Please, please come inside."

Luigi raised an eyebrow, but chose to listen to the wise one. Leaving the streets of Toad Town, he walked through the door and looked around the room.

The area was circular and dark, with a navy blue carpet and star-lined wallpaper. In the center of the room was a table with a chair on both ends, and on the table laid a beautiful crystal ball. Merlon went to sit on one of the chairs and beckoned the plumber to sit down as well. As Luigi moved forward and relaxed in the chair, Merlon started to wave his hands around the ball in a slow, smooth motion. The fragile figure glowed brightly, and moving lights appeared around the room. Luigi stayed quiet, awed by the visuals as he felt a weird sensation well up inside him – neither good nor bad.

"**Luigi…"** Merlon spoke in a very soft but firm voice. **"Last night, as I slept, the oracle spoke to me. Something has threatened our world, and it is up to both of you to stop it. I do not know much for not even I can tell the future, but through the helpfulness of my crystal ball and my abilities, I have found out that Mario must venture to Rougeport as soon as possible."**

Luigi's face contorted into one of confusion.

_Rougeport? Why Rougeport?_

"**Soon that place will be in peril, and Mario is needed there - or else the inhabitants will fall under the darkness of the enemy."**

The plumber's face turned from confusion to grimness.

_And what does this have to do with me?_

"**Meanwhile, the oracle has told me that very soon, your time will come to rise up and protect the Mushroom Kingdom. Your need for recognition will be answered; if you can drive away the forces that threaten us, you will be known as a hero equal to your brother."**

Luigi beamed with happiness, already thinking of being known as a hero.

_Finally! Everyone will finally recognize me! When I protect the Mushroom Kingdom, enemies will finally remember me and others will respect me! I can't believe my hopes are being answered! If you can hear me whoever you are, THANK YOU!_

"Oh, thanks for the message Mer-"

"**-BUT…"**

That one word alone stopped Luigi in his tracks.

"…**but, If you are to fail us… not only will you not gain recognition… but you may possibly put all of the Mushroom World in danger." **

The colour completely drained from Luigi's face as the mystical lights around the room began to fade. Merlon rose from his seat and looked upon Luigi, his yellow eyes piercing the plumber's soul.

"Well?" the wizard asked.

"I'll – I'll let Mario know as soon as possible. Th-thanks for your time" And with that, Luigi left Merlon's home to go back to the bright districts of Toad Town, to ponder on what he had just heard.

-

Mario stood solemnly as Peach finished up explaining what she had to say.

"So you see Mario… now that Bowser is finally gone and you don't have to waste your energy saving me, maybe we can finally spend some quality time with one another…"

Mario smiled when Peach blushed furiously.

"You're right though, this is a new life for the Kingdom… now that I think about it, the koopa clan has always been a thorn in our side. I guess with all of these kidnappings and rescues… we never did get time to truly enjoy life, eh?"

"Exactly! Thanks for coming Mario; I really needed to tell you this before the speech…"

"Mario gazed upon Peach with loving eyes, before heading to the door.

"Well, at any rate, the citizens of your kingdom are starting to gather in front of the castle for your expected speech, so I'll just be heading back home since what you just told me is basically of what you want to tell the people – well, except for the mushy parts."

Both of them chuckled and then Mario left her room…and eventually, the castle. Even when he was gone, she was seen still smiling, sitting on her large pink-covered bed.

The entrance of Toadsworth broke her out of her stupor.

"Princess, your people are waiting,"

"Ah, thank you for the notice, Toadsworth."

"Anytime, princess"

The attendant left the room as Peach got up and looked in the mirror. She took a deep breath. It was her time. This was a new day for the Mushroom Kingdom, and she wouldn't fail them.

She left her bedroom, leaving behind all her doubts.

-

"Man, next time I'm going out the back!"

A scruffy Mario barely made it out of the mob of people waiting for the princess. They were in front of the castle, whispering to others what they thought Peach might speak about; the amount of noise they produced was deafening. It was obvious that there were almost a thousand people there, with thousands more at home listening to the radio or watching T.V.

He walked away from the crowd for a while, and saw Luigi in the distance.

"Hey 'Weegi!"

His younger brother did not wave back, but instead ran towards Mario as if he had just seen something important.

Luigi slowed down as he neared Mario. The short plumber walked up to Luigi and patted him on the shoulder.

"Whoa, Weegi, where's the fire?"

Luigi took a deep breath from running so much, then handed his older brother a suitcase.

"Merlon just warned me that Rougeport will soon be in a bad situation, and you need to go there A.S.A.P! I went home to pack up your stuff; it's all in that suitcase. Rush to the harbor and get into the nearest boat heading into that location. I'm assuming that Peach already told you most of her speech, so you won't miss anything."

Mario immediately changed into his hero personality. He grabbed the suitcase and took off.

"Thanks bro! I don't know what I could do without you! Watch the princess while I'm gone, k?" Mario shouted at his brother before he disappeared over the horizon. Luigi nodded, and then headed off into the front of Peach's castle where the group of citizens stood.

He saw the princess appear on the large balcony of the castle, (3rd floor) that hung over the waiting people. Toadsworth and 2 guards stood beside her. Luigi could see people of all kinds amongst the people. Goombas, koopas, toads, bomb-ombs, they were all there. They all wanted to hear what Peach had to say.

The blond woman waited for the noise from the people to hush before she spoke into the microphone. The silence was unbelievable, all eyes focused on Peach.

"**People of the Mushroom Kingdom, I have something very important to tell all of you. Bowser is dead. The koopa clan is finished. The remaining members have scattered."**

There was a huge gasp from the audience, followed by the continuation of their rumors and chit-chat. Peach once again waited for them to calm down.

"**Now because of this, our whole lives have been changed. From now on, I will not be kidnapped by him, and you may longer have to go to sleep scared that his army will attack us. We owe it to our savoir and resident hero, Mario, for finally doing away with the koopa clan."**

At this, all the citizens broke in cheers. The only one silent amongst them was Luigi. (A/N: ZOMG jealously!)

"**Not only do we have Mario to thank, but also his brother, Luigi. Together, the Mario Bros. have kept our kingdom a happy and easygoing place to live."**

More cheers. Luigi felt a smile creep up his face. (A/N: Oh, what, you're only happy if YOU"RE included?)

"**Now, with them out of the way, I can finally start working to make a better Mushroom Kingdom for us all…"**

Silence.

"**Many a time, I always had to call upon Mario for help. Now there will be none of that. Mario and Luigi, because of their selflessness, they have always sacrificed their hobbies to come to my aid. **

**But over time, these adventures have brought us closer. And now that we are free to live our lives, hopefully, our relationship can become something more…"**

She stopped, took a drink of water given to her from Toadsworth, and then continued

"**Ultimately though, expect to see improvements in your lifestyles. Because from now on, it is a new day for us. We will take control of our own paths."**

The princess finished her speech and smiled brightly as she saw her people celebrate down below. Cheers were shouted, and everyone wore a smile.

"**Next week!"** Peach declared, **"There will be a huge feast to celebrate our new freedom! All are invited to come!"**

The citizens shouted with happiness even more, and they expressed such glee that they didn't see one person slink away from the castle grounds and into the deserted Toad Town.

-

The tall, hunched shadowy figure, which looked like a tall female toad with a large trench coat, slipped into an alley.

"Eya ha ha ha ha ha! That's _all_ she wanted to talk about? The death of that incompetent koopa?!? I've wasted my time here!"

The female toad ripped off and flung her trench coat into the distance, than with both hands which were revealed to be green and boney, peeled off her face. Once she tossed away the mask, it was not a female toad that was seen…

…but a tall, evil bean witch known as **_CACKELETTA._**

The one-time enemy of the Mario Bros. took out a hand-sized metallic sphere and pressed a red button on the side. The sphere then lit up, projecting a hologram of a humanoid-shaped shadow.

"Yes?"

"Give me the boss, immediately!" Snapped the witch.

"He'ssss not here at the moment." The shadow-like figure spoke with a sinister voice. "There have been new sssacrifices at demon'sss peak, and milord has gone there in hopesss of finding a better hosssst... he has told me to tell you and the othersss to continue all operations as planeddd… yessssss…."

"Well tell him to contact me as soon as possible!" And with that, Cackeletta pressed the red button and the shadowy figure disappeared. She pressed another button and the hologram of a machine-like figure appeared this time, complete with a large spherical-head with gears that could be seen inside it.

"Chrome dome, make sure that your preparations for the invasion of Rougeport are complete, and you're ready to attack by tomorrow! I don't want that bumbling idiot of yours… what was his name again? Croop? Crap? Whatever it is, I don't want him screwing up our plans! So make sure!"

The appearance of the machine-like thing did not change and it seemed as if the thing held no emotion. He replied calmly.

"You'd do well, to treat those who are superior to you with utmost respect. If we weren't on the same side, I wouldn't wait another second to vaporize you."

Cackeletta sneered, and made an instant comeback.

"When your technology beats my magic, hell will freeze over. So I would shut my trap if I were you and hope that your bumbling soldiers can do this job properly."

"Regardless of my men's stupidity, they could easily take down your E.S.L.-inflicted toady," the machine-robot spat with obvious disregard for other's emotions.

"You think so?" Cackeletta pondered. "Well then, just bring your best men to fight my "toady," and prepare to eat your words."

The thing or person she was talking to, did not make another witty remark.

"Enough. I have everything ready. The invasion will be ready for tomorrow. The citizens of that dump won't stand a chance. So, if you'll excuse me, I would rather not look at you any longer."

With that, the hologram disappeared, and Cackeletta put away the small sphere with obvious disgust.

"Why?" she asked herself. "Why do I have to work with all of these idiots?"

Then with a puff of smoke, she disappeared from the alley without a trace.

-

Inside a humongous airship above the clouds, the robot-machine-like person that Cackeletta just spoke with sat on his throne. He was in a large circular room, with a floor that had one big "X" in the middle.

A weird looking soldier wearing a lab coat came through the automatic door. He crossed his hands in front of his body to make a "X" shape. He spoke with extreme respect.

"You called supreme leader?"

"Yes," he answered. "Get me Crump."

Quickly, the soldier ran to side of the room which had panels and buttons located there, and rapidly punched in buttons. A large hologram appeared in front of the machine.

"What's up boss?"

"Crump, is everything ready for the invasion at Rougeport tomorrow?"

"Almost boss, about seventy-five percent ready."

"Problems?" the machine demanded with curiosity.

"Yeah, recent updates from our spies in the Mushroom Kingdom say that Mario has just got on a ship and is headed to Rougeport. He is most likely arriving here by tomorrow morning, and-" he was immediately cut off by his leader.

"INCOMPETENT **_FOOL_**!" the figure bellowed. "THAT PLUMBER COULD _IMPAIR _OUR MISSION! FINISH ALL OF YOUR PREPARATIONS BEFORE TONIGHT! MAKE SURE THAT MARIO NEVER MAKES IT TO ROUGEPORT, _EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO JUMP ON THAT SHIP TO DO IT!"_

"Y-yes boss! Immediately!" the soldier known as Crump cut transmission, and the room was once again empty except for the leader and the lowly soldier with the lab coat.

The machine-thing started to laugh.

"GAAACK ACK ACK ACK ACK! Soon, this world will be shrouded in darkness, and not a single soul will be able to stop our rise to power! GAAAACK ACK ACK ACK! Soldier, go back to the research corners and keep looking for information on the location of the **_Grand Shine_**!"

The leader kept laughing even when the soldier had left the throne room.

And as Mario put away his suitcase in the guest room of the cargo ship, and Luigi went inside the castle to give congratulations to Peach for the speech, both brothers did not know of the dangers they, and the world, would soon face.

Just what is the **Grand Shine**? What do Cackeletta and her allies want with Rougeport and the Mushroom Kingdom? And when will Luigi get his chance to shine?

All this and more on the next chapter, "**I Will Protect You! The Assault on Rougeport, Strike on the Mushroom Castle!"**

Also, from now on, any info on the story will be posted on my author page on FanFiction. Sorry for the lateness.

PLZ R&R CONSTRUCTIVE CRITISCM WELCOMMMMEDDDDDD.


	3. Battle aboard the SS Water Lily!

ZOMG! I'm sorry, no preview like I said! I cut this chapter, too! Originally, this would continue on to Rougeport, and the invasion would start and everything! But I cut it! I'm sorry! I just needed a break! HWK and everything is taking a lot on my life, so it was hard to fit in the chapter! Please forgive me, and read on!

Oh, yeah, i almost forgot! Selanp's writing another fanfic, _An Evil a Day! _It's really good! It's 100 short fics (at least i think) on the many different villains that inhabit the Mushroom World! Fawlful, Axem Rangers, Doopliss, you name it! It also get's updated regularly, so don't take you eyes off of it? I don't think i have it on my faveourites... so i'll add it right now! AND YOU SHOULD TOO, SLICK!

_**Chapter 3**_

_**Battle Aboard the S.S. Water Lily: Mario and Shuck Tag Team combination!**_

_Moments after the end of chapter 2…_

Crump sat on his leather chair, sipping a tasty tonic ever so slowly. He was acting as if he hadn't a care in the world. For some reason, he was acting relaxed.

Pretty relaxed for a guy… who had just been given a direct order by his leader.

"HEY! I WOULD LIKE SOME SERVICE HERE!" he shouted angrily whilst lounging. Quickly, a man with a red uniform which had a white "X" insignia plastered on it ran into the room.

"Soldier, call the X-Squad for me, and do it quick."

"With pleasure, commander…" the soldier hurried away, and soon he heard the intercom burst with noise throughout the airship that he was currently relaxing on.

"X-SQUAD, REPORT TO THE MAIN ROOM IMMEDIATELY, FOR LORD CRUMP SUMMONS YOU. THAT IS ALL."

Crump waited a few minutes, but no one else entered the room. Irritated, he waited a bit more, until he could no longer take the suspense.

"WHERE _ARE_ THEY?!?" he shouted.

Right at that moment, the automatic door leading into the room suddenly opened, and some kind of test tube was tossed in. When it hit the floor, it exploded with a gale of smoke, and Crump started to suffocate.

"Idiots!" he screamed, but started to cough from the smoke. The dust settled, and through the haze, Crump could see four figures.

"Hit the music, Beta!"

There was the sound of a click, and then some funky techno music started to play.

The smoke disappeared, and four soldiers, similar to the one that Crump earlier summoned, tossed off their capes.

"**Beta…**" a soldier with a red uniform sporting a black "X" and oval-shaped glasses muttered strongly, but with a sinister undertone.

"_Gamma…_" Another soldier with a blue uniform, a lab coat, and rectangular-shaped glasses stated with a sly and treacherous voice.

"Alpha…" – a third soldier with a uniform exact to Beta, albeit the colour of the "X" white and his gloves and mask black, muttered firmly. He wore triangular-shaped glasses.

Finally, the fourth figure appeared, rising from behind the other three. He spoke his name as if he were the strongest, the leader.

"**_Omega…"_** he whispered, although Crump felt like the ferocity of a dragon was hidden under that soft word. He had an unusual purple uniform on with an orange "X" emblazoned on it. He did not wear glasses, but cool-looking shades.

"**_We are…"_** he started, letting the others finish the introduction.

"**_The X-Squad…"_** the others finished in unison, their combined voices sounding like their leader.

Crump placed his hands on his hips and demanded angrily.

"What took you so _long?_"

Beta immediately answered.

"**Oh, we were working on our entrance! Didn't we sound so cool and mysterious?" **The other members nodded, happy with how well the routine went.

"Did you like it, Lord Crump?"

Crump cussed at them, angry that they had wasted so much time.

"Listen," he said, pulling out a set of pictures and raising from his chair. "The invasion's tomorrow morning, and we have a problem that could impair the mission. His name is Mario, and he's currently on a ship headed for Rougeport."

He handed each of the four members a photo of the plumber, showing him beside and on the boat. There was also a picture of the boat setting sail.

"Luckily, one of our spies managed to catch some photos of him so we know his current status. He's dangerous, and he foiled our plans last time. I need you to take him out before he lands here."

Each member looked at a photo, and voiced their opinions.

"He foiled our plans last time? Doesn't look like a threat…" Alpha whispered to Omega.

"**_Well, whatever he did, he must've had a lucky break. The Secret Society of X-nauts are bigger, badder, and better than ever. In addition, with the X-Squad here, we're unbeatable. That plumber can never stop us now."_** Omega kept a cool voice the whole time.

"_Hmm, looks like an excellent specimen for an experiment,"_ Gamma said with a smirk.

"**Wonder if he can unclog my toilet?" **Beta pondered.

"Don't fool around. He's currently on the western Mushroom Ocean, and Sir Grodus wants him dead. Make sure that request is fulfilled before they get even close to Rougeport." Crump held an unusual serious voice, knowing the havoc that Mario could cause.

"**_We'll take care of it…" _**Omega reassured. **_"Squad members, move out!" _**

With that order, Alpha threw another test tube to the floor and the room once again filled with smoke. When it dissipated, the four were gone.

Crump frowned, wondering if he did the right thing by sending them. _They're known to underestimate their foes…wait, why do I care? If they screw up, they'll take the anger of the leader, not me. _

He looked at the reader.

"You! Yeah, you! I know who you are, and you know who my leader is! But I'm not gonna tell you, or else the suspense will be spoiled! So don't act like you know!"

Crump looked around to make sure no one was there.

"_And_," he whispered, as if someone were trying to listen in. "No one is supposed to know I broke the fourth wall, okay! So this conversation never happened! And with that – POW! I'm gone!"

The pompous leader went back to his chair and continued sipping on his tasty tonic. After a while, he tapped his fingers impatiently on the chair's arm and shouted with anger.

"HEY! _I WOULD LIKE SOME SERVICE HERE_!"

-

_Presently, on a ship out on the ocean…_

Mario finally finished his work and sighed. He slowly stepped out of the interior of the naval unit and looked over the railing, watching the rippling waves reflect the moon that lay in the darkness. The crewmates on this boat made him work, yes, but he was just happy that they let him come along for the ride. They were only supposed to deliver the cargo.

_Flashback_

_Mario arrived at the harbor, holding his suitcase by his side and catching his breath from sprinting. He looked around. The docks were full with ships, but there were no crewmembers in them. _

_They must have all gone for the speech._

_Mario was just about to leave when he saw them. _

_Down, at the end of the harbor, was a small ship with sailors on it. _

_He rushed towards them, hoping that they weren't planning to leave as well. _

_He was just about to reach the boat, but he tripped over a bump in the platform and fell hard to the ground. The sailors lowered their cargo to the floor and looked at him with amusement. _

"_Well lookie' what we have here! The great Super Mario, kissing the floor!" A second crewmate howled with laughter. Mario got up quickly and dusted himself off._

"_It's not that funny…" he muttered. He looked at the one who made the joke; he was a burly paratroopa with an eye patch covering his left eye._

"_We're just playin' with ya, matey!" A tough looking bomb-omb shouted. "What do you need so badly that makes you trip over yourself for it?"_

"_Well…" the plumber started. "I need-"_

"_Aye, you lazy men, I can't hears you moving the cargo! What in blooper's name is you's doing?" A scruffy toad with grey hair and a beard, a hook for a hand and a peg leg walked out from the command room and onto the deck. He looked at Mario. _

"_Well, stoke me beard and call me a chain-chomp. It's Mario!"_

_The bomb-omb whispered to the paratroopa. "Thought he was more refined, without the tripping and whatnot…" The two snickered._

"_Enough, ye yellowbellies!" The toad shouted at the snickering pair, and they quieted. "What is it that you's need?" he asked Mario._

_The plumber asked nicely. _

"_I need to go to Rougeport ASAP, and I would like it if you could give me a ride."_

_The toad smiled warmly. "Lucky you, we plan to stop at Rougeport during the trip. Me name's Shuck, captain of the S.S. Water Lily. Get on deck and help the boys load the cargo. The Water Lily doesn't give any free rides; if you want to come, you have to help."_

"_Of course," Mario answered smoothly, and the captain walked back into the command room. He walked onto the deck and helped the two sailors move the cargo inside the ship. Once they went back out, the two introduced themselves._

"_Guys around the area call me Brick, glad to meet ya," the muscle-bound paratroopa greeted, and shook Mario's hand. "The bomb-omb over there is me best friend, Bomb-runnagan. Jus' call him Bob-omb." Bob-omb smiled kindly at the hero, and the trio finished moving all of the cargo._

_Eventually, there was the order of, "Raise the anchor!" from Shuck, and the S.S. Water Lily was ocean-bound._

_End flashback_

Mario had just finished checking and repairing the ship's pipes, proving that amidst the rescuing and adventures, he could still do a good plumbing. It was night time now, and soon it was time to hit the hay. He worried about what might happen. He had already notified his old partners in and around Rougeport to meet him there via his mailbox SP, but he could only wonder what might happen.

Captain Shuck met Mario over the railing.

"Don't worry, sailor! We's plan to hit Rougeport by tomorrow morning!" Mario smiled a little bit more, Shuck's words relaxing him somewhat. "It'd be wise if you's get some rest. Prepare for tomorrow morning," he advised.

The mustachioed marvel complied, and left for his quarters.

-

In Rougeport, all of the house's lights turned off in the dead of night, except for the many bars that light up the town with its merry-making.

But, this time there was an exception. One small house lay with one light still on.

A female goomba with long, blond hair done up in a pony tail sat on her queen-sized bed. She took off her expedition hat and placed it on the hard wooden dresser. She jumped off the bed and walked to her desk, sitting on the chair that joined it. She opened the textbook that was on top of it, and started reading.

"Many, many years ago, at the start of our history, there were about four different family groups.

**The Beanish People** – the ones who would successfully govern the Bean-bean Kingdom.

**The Toad Clan** – The kind people who would inhabit the Mushroom Kingdom, their territory.

**The Goombas** – weak, fungus-like creatures who betrayed the Mushroom house to join with the koopas.

**The Koopas** – the clan that has a variety of sub-species, who are lead under their current king, Bowser, and want control of the Mushroom Kingdom.

Each family lived in peace, and built shelters and homes in their territory. Until, one day, the fourth king of the koopas, Morton J.-" She stopped reading and looked at the clock. Ten minutes had passed. '_Ugh, studying for history can be so annoying. And why do they have to make us goombas look so bad all the time?_' she thought, her face turning sour.

'_Well, I can't study right now, and the test isn't coming in a few days, so I guess I'll just take the night off.'_

The goomba left the desk and jumped under the covers of her comfortable reprieve.

'_Mmm, Mario's coming tomorrow morning to visit. Wonder if the other guys got the message too?' _

She hoped that Mario would be able to make it. Fortunately, he was a man of his word so it was easy to believe in him. She was slowly drifting to a temporary slumber.

_Meeting…… the professor, also…tomorrow… soon… see him after…I talk to…… Mario…also… meeting… with professor Kolorado… gotta'… look good…_

Her last thought was complete as she fell asleep, to the land of dreams.

Goombella slept well.

-

As the stars twinkled overhead, and people of all different kinds slept peacefully, the star spirits watched over them. It was a peaceful night, one of many. It was unique, though, as it seemed like everything was right in the world. It felt like ever-lasting peace.

On a towering hill that looked over both the Mushroom Castle and Toad Town, two figures sat, watching the glistening sky.

Yes, two figures, one tall and slim and one short and stout.

Definitely, it was definitely two familiar characters.

_Cackeletta_, and her toady **_Fawful_**.

"Ahhh, Fawful. Gaze at this beautiful sky for a bit longer, and take it all in..." Cackeletta instructed.

"Why, Mistress?" Fawful inquired. "I am having confusion as to the point and/or benefit of looking at this ugly sky, which I believe is having taunting of me."

"Because, starting tomorrow, the peaceful sky as the people know it will disappear forever, and transform into the sweeping shadow. That is when we will strike, Fawful, which is when we will take control."

"Oh, I have complete understanding, great Cackeletta!" He answered with glee. "I will have remembering of this peaceful, infuriating sky so that when it has lovely clouds of doubt and despair, I will have the 'reminiscing' of when it was happy times so I can be comparing the differences and have even more laughing at the fink-rats of which I HAVE FURY!"

"Sure, Fawful, whatever you say." Shrugging her shoulders, Cackeletta rose from her sitting position.

"Go get some sleep, so you're ready for tomorrow," she instructed to her underling.

"We act when I give the signal."

Fawful jumped up to his feet and put on his headgear which previously lay at his side. Activating the rockets, he started to leave before turning one last time at his teacher.

"I am wishing you a good night, mistress! Soon, this world will once again be your snack cake, and I will be having the job of spreading your mustard of doo-"

"Goodnight, Fawful."

Cackeletta disappeared with a sigh as Fawful headgear-boosted his way back to the castle.

-

_BRNNNNG! BRNNNNNNNNNNG!_

'_Ugh, not now…' _Luigi thought, throwing his blanket over his head.

_BRNNNNNNNG! BRNNNNNNNNNNG!_

'_Just leave me alone…'_

_BRNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNG!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BRNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNG!!!!!!!!!!!!!_

'_Aww, FORGET IT!'_

_BRNNNN-_

With a spark of lightning, the alarm clock was toast. Luigi would need a new one.

'_Good old thunderbrand…' _he thought.

Usually, the low-tempered Luigi would never do such a thing. He always woke up early, and was the most alert of the two brothers when it came to the mornings.

There were two reasons why he hated this morning.

E. Gadd "E. mailed" (a new invention, a variant on the e-mail) Luigi last night and wanted him to come to the castle to test his new inventions.

E. Gadd wanted him to bring all of his best badges and weapons. That was extra baggage.

E. Gadd was getting on his nerves.

However, he still had to survive the day, so he rose out of bed reluctantly. After grooming himself, he gathered up his badges and weapons. He pulled out his golden hammer, smiling. So many memories came from that foreign object.

After packing all of his stuff into one suitcase (the polter-gust was currently held be Gadd), he left his humble home and set off for the castle. He sighed deeply.

'_That Elvin BETTER have some good inventions…'_

It only took a few hellos to the citizens in Toad Town and a temporary stare from Merlon that gave Luigi the chills before he reached the castle. On the way, he passed a weird looked Toadette who was tall and hunched over, and she seemed to have a menacing smirk. Unfortunately, he paid no attention to her. He entered the room through the doors and looked at Peach who was walking down the stairs. "Hello Luigi!" She greeted as she stepped down from the flight of steps. "E. Gadd's waiting in his lab in the end of the castle, he alerted me of your presence."

"Thanks, princess."

Luigi left the front area and went through many doors and eventually down a large flight of stairs, to the bottom floor. (not the basement)

There he was, in the midst of a huge but cluttered room, in his lab. Back towards Luigi.

A wisp of white hair on top of a bald head? Check.

Small, hunched frame covered by a lab coat? Check.

Huge glasses covering his not-so-huge face? Checkaroo.

It was E. Gadd. And when he turned around and saw the plumber, Luigi knew he wouldn't be leaving anytime soon.

The glint in his eye gave Luigi that notice.

-

"WE'RE TAKING IN WATER!"

That shout alone woke up Mario with a start. The boat was uncharacteristically rocking, and the plumber could hear some small explosions on the deck. He listened closely, and could barely hear the sound of rushing water.

Dressed in only a large shirt and bed shorts, Mario jumped out of bed and opened his suitcase which lay on top of a small metal dresser. He withdrew his hammer from it quickly, and ran down the corridor and up the stairs.

While rushing to the deck, he could hear the explosions more clearly. The sounds of fighting could also be heard, and Mario thought the worst.

-

Captain Shuck lay on the floor, coughing hard. His casual clothes were ripped and charred, as he slowly started to stand up again. It wasn't easy with his peg leg.

Behind him, the door leading to the interior of the ship burst open, and Mario ran to Shuck's aid. "Captain, what's happening?!?" he shouted to the old toad. Shuck weakly rose his hook arm and pointed towards him. Mario looked forward and saw two uniformed-beings. One was wearing a red uniform with a black X on it, and the other was wearing a blue uniform with a black X and a white lab coat.

"_Hey," _the lab coated soldier greeted nonchalantly. . "_I assume that you are Mario? Hopefully, you'll give us a better challenge than the old man did…"_

"You….you are… impossible…" Mario stuttered, full of disbelief.

"**No, it's quite possible, dude. We're one half of the X-Squad, the best group in the whole Secret Society of X-nauts.** **We're back, and we're here for revenge!"** The other figure stated. He pulled out a bomb. **"Sorry dude, but our superior says that we have to get rid of you!"**

The being tossed the explosive straight at the plumber and the captain, but Mario was faster. He jumped in the air and slammed the bomb with his hammer, causing and explosion to occur in the sky. Mario smoothly landed, his clothes a bit covered with soot.

"Who are you guys?!? How did you guys come back?!? The Shadow Queen destroyed your leader!" He demanded, desperate to know what was going on.

"**Can't tell you that information, dude!" **the explosion-happy figure replied. **"But I _can _tell you who we are! I'm Beta, the best foot soldier in all of the Secret Society!"**

The other member revealed to Mario who he was as well.

"_The name's Gamma, the smartest and strongest X-naut PhD in all of the Secret Society! Will you allow me to experiment on you?"_

Mario growled at the two, showing signs of irritation. Shuck finally rose to his feet and spoke.

"Mario, those two came out of no where this morning and attacked the ship! They opened a hole in the interior of the ship; the boys are currently repairing it. I tried to fight them, but they double teamed me. The blokes!"

"Okay," Mario answered while keeping his eyes on the duo. "Go help Brick and Bob-omb, Shuck. I'll handle these two." He turned his head and smirked at the captain. "X-nauts have always been weak," he added.

"No!" Shuck replied, angry at the two X-nauts. "I'm the captain of this ship, and I'll be damned if I let these land-lubbers sink the _Water Lily!_"

Mario nodded and the captain threatened their opponents.

"You's guys better back off now, or we's gonna beat you down!"

"**As if, old man!" **Beta shouted. Then, as if they signaled battle, the two X-Squad members rushed at the plumber and captain.

Gamma quickly grabbed two beakers of chemicals from his lab coat pocket and tossed them at the heroes. Shuck jumped over it and Mario broke it with his hammer. The beaker broke and its contents spilled over the weapon. "Wha?" Mario stared with disbelief as the substance shrunk the hammer, making it too small to be a weapon. He quickly dropped it and ran at Gamma, preparing to knock him senseless.

Gamma dodged the first punch, but couldn't get away from the roundhouse kick that Mario used next. The sly scientist was sent flying backwards and hit the railing with a **THUD**. He got back up quickly to dodge to ground-pound that Mario served up next.

On the other side of the deck, Beta pulled out a bomb to throw at the battling plumber, but was interrupted by Shuck. The old captain swiped his hook at the foot soldier, but missed by a frog's hair as Beta saw the weapon in time to avoid being sliced by it. "**Lucky shot, geezer!" **he spat at Shuck, before attempting an attack of his own. He jumped in the air and attempted to press slam his opponent, but Shuck managed to jump away. Beta rolled away to get away from any future attacks, and got back up again. The two stared each other down.

"**This ship is going down, whether you like it or not."**

"Don't make presumptions when I'm around," Shuck said, smirking. Once again, the two fighters rushed towards each other, and, to a spectator, it seemed as if two separate generations were clashing – young and old. Beta tried to take Shuck down using hand-to-hand combat, but was unsuccessful. Using a bomb in these close quarters was too dangerous; the explosive might erupt on the both of them.

Shuck changed his attack pattern and grabbed Beta by the collar. The X-naut was surprised and desperately tried to escape the seaman's grip, but to no avail. The captain first shook him around, to disorient him, and then when Beta got confused, Shuck brought up his peg-leg and kicked the soldier in the stomach. Beta was sent tumbling into Gamma, who had just been hit away by Mario.

Both men were laid on the deck, part of a massive entanglement that banded the two together. Mario and Shuck walked closer to the duo, smirking.

"_Beta, you uncoordinated buffoon! Stop getting in my way!" _Gamma shouted to his teammate amidst the confusion.

"**Shut up, Gamma! The stupid old man got a lucky shot in, that's all! Stop getting on my nerves!"**

"_Be quiet, simpleton! You're lucky that you even got on this team! You're the weakest member among us, fitting since you're also from the weakest unit!"_

"**Sh…shut up! I know that already! You always have to criticise me!"**

"_I make you your potions, I check your chemicals, and I can do whatever I want to you, fool!"_

"**You wanna go, HUH? YOU WANNA GO?!?!"**

"_BRING IT ON!"_

With that proclamation, the two were enveloped in dust as the comrades fought for supremacy over the other. Mario and Shuck couldn't help but sweat-drop.

_Idiots…_the two thought in unison.

--------------

Meanwhile, in Crump's sky base…

Alpha and Omega sat in the lounging room. Alpha was chugging some chuckola-cola, while Omega just sipped on some tea.

"Hey, Omega…" started Alpha as he threw another empty bottle into the recycling bin and cracked open a new one.

"**_Yes?" _**Omega asked, with little to no curiosity.

"Was it a smart choice to send Beta and Gamma together on a mission? You know how those two are…" Alpha drawled, letting Omega think it over.

"**_Don't worry about them, if their rivalry causes them to fail the mission, I will personally punish them."_**

Alpha shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever," he burped while speaking, the carbon getting to him. The X-naut elite finished his drink and threw the bottle into the bin, pulling out another one…

--------------

"**AHEM!" **The slightly bruised Beta shouted, gaining the plumber's and captain's attention. The two had just stopped battling each other, when they remembered their mission. **"Just to let you know, we were NOT fighting each other!"**

"_Y-yeah! We were just, uh, warming up!" _Gamma stuttered while adjusting his broken glasses.

_Yeah, right… _Mario thought with a sweat-drop. He picked up his hammer, which had returned to its original size when the substance's effects wore off.

Shuck growled. "I don't have time for lily-livered punks like you!"

He rushed at the pair, but Beta and Gamma were ready. Gamma pulled out a few hand-sized, green shuriken-shaped weapons, and tossed them onto the sailor. The objects immediately clasped onto him and stopped his rush cold.

"I…I can't move!" Shuck shouted to Mario while cursing some sailor-only language. "By Neptune, what have you done?"

Gamma adjusted his cracked frame, and chuckled. "_I would like to introduce you to my new weapons, the interceptor-yux! For every yux that's on you, the voltage gets stronger, and you can move even less! Aren't I a genius?" _he asked his opponents.

Beta pulled out a bomb. **"Bye bye, geezer!"** He tossed it straight at the subdued captain.

"NO!" Mario tried to intercept it, but he wasn't fast enough. The bomb connected and Shuck was knocked unconscious from the explosion.

Now it was a handicapped match.

"You pieces of fungus…" Mario muttered while looking at Shuck to see if he was okay. He lay down the sailor and pointed straight at the duo.

"You guys are going down."

"**Don't be so sure!" **Beta shouted and pulled out a vial of red liquid. He drank its contents and suddenly grew two times his size. "**LET'S GOOOO!" **he bellowed and charged.

Mario was silent as he dashed and jumped over Beta's charge. While over his head, the plumber slammed his hammer down on the X-Squad member's cranium, sending the pompous soldier tumbling to the floor. With Beta temporarily incapacitated, Mario ran towards Gamma. The enemy quickly tossed some inceptor-yux, but they were all smashed away courtesy of Mario's hammer. Mario dropped the weapon and continued charging, extending his right hand out as his arm became coated in flames.

"_W-wait! I'm sorry! You don't have to become my experiment! Just don't-" _Gamma's desperate pleas were cut off as Mario whispered the attack.

"_**Flame Knuckleduster**," _the hero whispered. He thrust his fist into Gamma's stomach, the flames gathering around the point of impact and burning him greatly.

Gamma was no Bowser. He couldn't shrug it off.

He was sent flying into the distance, the strike so powerful it launched the PhD off the ship.

"_NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! It's NOT POSSIBL-" _

Mario couldn't hear anymore, Gamma was to far and high up in the sky. He disappearing with a _ding!_

"Have a fun landing in Rougeport…" the plumber whispered. He turned to Beta.

The X-naut had returned to normal size (The effects had worn off),and was seen on a speeder bike hovering over the damaged deck (Think Star-wars). Mario glared at him, his right arm once again catching fire. Beta gulped, and sped out towards sea, just out of the angry man's reach. He turned around, and laughed nervously.

"**Heh! Don't boost yourself, dude! Next time, we'll be back, and the whole team will be here to smite you! I'll let you know, that me and Gamma were the weakest members! When we meet again, Omega and Alpha will rip you apart!" **Beta then pulled out a laser handgun, and started blasting the side of the ship where the leakage was. There was a huge ripping sound, and then the rush of water.

Mario looked at Beta, his eyes seething with anger, frustration, and disbelief.

"HOW COULD YOU?!?!" He screamed. The plumber tossed multiple fireballs at Beta, but the X-naut was just too far away and he easily evaded the meager attacks.

"**Mission complete!" **he boasted. He smirked, and his eyes held a gleam. "**Without Gamma, too! See ya, dude!" **The X-squad member laughed and sped off, towards Rougeport, which could be seen on the horizon.

Brick and Bomb-runnagan burst through the door leading into the inside of the ship.

"_We're taking too much water!_" Brick shouted to Mario. "Something happened, and the repairs we made were destroyed and a whole bunch 'a water came in! The ship's gonna capsize!"

Bob-runnagan, or Bob-omb, looked at Mario and held up his suitcase. "We got 'ur stuff, Mario! Let's get out of here!" He looked at the fallen Shuck. "Err… what happened to the captain?"

-

The sun had fully risen during the battle, it was already morning. With no knowledge of what had happened at sea, Mario's partners were waiting at the dock, confused.

"Where's Mario?" Goombella asked the rest of the partners.

"Dunno'," Yoshi Jr. answered. "I hope Gonzales is okay…"

-

Everything had gone wrong so far. It was going to get worse.

-

_Final thought from Beta…_

"**Heh heh… good old portable-expandable speeder bikes! Ahaha, just wait 'till the guys hear about Gamma!"**

-

Well… I tried to plan this chapter, and I realized that I'm not good at it. I was gonna give a preview, but I decided that I would cut the chapter short, and let the invasion start next chapter. I changed the chapter content and its title, too.

SO? How did you like the chapter? Just to let you know, Shuck's speech patterns were intended, including the you's, we's, etc. So, next chapter will have Rougeport, the invasion, and a new character coming up! (Read the summary, it says Mario will have to ally with _rivals_…) Now, a few questions.

**Did you like my new, original included characters? (The X-Squad, Brick, Shuck and Bob-omb)**

**Did you like the content in this chapter? Too short, too long?**

**Who do you think will appear in the next chapter, as the rival? (First person who gets it right gets a special preview)**

Now… I won't start working on chapter 4 until I get at least 3 reviews…

And NOW! If you've read up to this point, you get a surprise!

-

**Extra!**

"_Dammit!" _Gamma shouted out loud to no one. He had been flying in the air for like what? Five minutes? When was he going to land already?

Ugh. Beta was surely going to laugh at him after this. Unless… he got sent flying as well.

That would be good.

"_Specimens are not_ _supposed to attack their masters!" _He huffed, and looked below.

That's when he noticed.

He could see the ground! Snap! He was landing!

He gulped as the rusty, dirty floor of Rougeport became closer and closer. The clouds were disappearing, and he could see that he was going to land at the dock. _'Good thing I have some spare mushrooms' _he thought. He was just about to hit the ground. Just before the impact, he noticed seven characters standing by the edge of the dock.

'_Who are those guys? Never seen th-"_

_**CRASH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**_

Gamma made impact with the floor, denting it severely. He was knocked out of it for a bit.

When his eyes opened, he could see those seven blurry figures moving up towards him.

"Hey!" A voice shouted. The person sounded like a kid. "It's one of those X-dudes!"

"Hey, Goombella," another feminine voice sounded. "W-what should we do?"

"Let's jump him!" The person named Goombella shouted. "Let's interrogate him and find out what he's planning!"

And as the seven came closer, Gamma groaned and closed his eyes.

_This was going to HURT…_


	4. Invasion

**YOSH! Chapter 4 up! A little shorter than what I wanted it to be, but its okay. The content here gave me a good idea for what is gonna happen next chap. I think this chap came out good, but the reader's view is more important. ANYWAY, READ ON!**

_**Chapter 4**_

_**Invasion **_

Atop a building on the East side of Rogueport, a weird-looking minstrel stood, enjoying the shade his umbrella gave him.

His name was Grifty, a very peculiar person with a very peculiar job.

The mouse sighed; business was going slow again, to the point of being non-existent. Then again, who could he blame but himself? The chances of someone climbing the roof just to pay five coins and listen to his tale were very, very slim. Grifty daydreamed – a regular habit considering the time on his hands – back to when that one plumber and his partner came to listen to his whole story.

'_Ah, business was good then. I made around fifty coins that time…' _

One may think that he should just get an actual job if he wanted money, but Grifty wasn't an ordinary person. He had a mission, to teach the new generations their past, so that it would not happen again. Living life was overrated, and minstrel had different goals.

A hidden pulse, or sixth sense, alerted the mouse. He looked up, and through the clouds, he could see a faint shadow looming over in the distance. He blinked and rubbed his eyes, but the shadow was still there. Grifty had no way to prove it, but he could just _tell _that whatever that thing was, it was coming closer. He had a bad feeling about this.

The minstrel turned away and looked upon the care-free citizens of Rougeport once again. They walked the streets with such happiness, such freedom, and it was obvious they did not know what was coming.

Grifty smiled faintly, and spoke few words.

"I guess that after this, I'll have a new story to tell…" 

-

Brick the paratroopa looked at Mario quizzically. "What's wrong mate?"

Mario's head lowered even more, the plumber refusing to meet the other's eyes. He didn't have to look again to see the predicament that they were in, with him, Brick, and Bob-omb rowing the seas in their little life boat, Rogueport hazy in the distance and Shuck unconscious on the bench.

Before the S.S. Water Lily said her final prayers, Mario and co. managed to escape the doomed vessel on a life boat before she brought them all down. Now with nothing but a plastic ship and three pairs of oars, the crew was in a pretty bad situation.

Bob-omb looked at the plumber with sympathy, as though he knew what Mario was feeling. "Don't worry about it," he said softly. "There's no harm done."

Mario shook his head vigorously, and then dropped it down again in shame.

"No," he muttered, angry at himself. "They were after me. It's my entire fault that you guys lost your ship and your cargo. And then, even after that, you still manage to get my stuff and forgive me…"

The boat went silent again, as the two sailors thinking about what Mario had said.

"I'm going to change into my regular clothes."

The two sailors nodded and turned around, giving the plumber some privacy. As he changed, he gave his thanks.

"You guys have been very kind to me… and I paid you back with this."

The Italian then quieted and continued to row. The silence that was over them was like a poison, slowly corroding their thoughts and beliefs. All was quiet for the next few minutes, every man in their own world while they all did one outward motion; rowing.

Brick finally broke the ice.

"Hey, I can see Rogueport clearly! We should be there in about… twenty minutes!"

Mario quickly looked behind him, and his impassive face slowly started to lighten. He could see the port, and he broke into a sincere smile.

He was finally there.

-

Alpha couldn't help but chuckle. "So you left Gamma to the dogs?" he asked. Beta laughed loudly, and Omega could hear a snicker from the X-Squad foot soldier.

"**Yeah, you should have seen him! Those people were beating the living CRUD out of the guy! I was thinking if I should rescue him, but really, guys, he NEEDS a wake-up call. He's **_**way**_** too pompous for his own good." **Beta put his hands on his hips and smirked, loving the feeling of superiority. He sat down on a couch in the lounge room whilst smirking. The two members kept chatting casually until Omega interjected.

"_**Enough."**_

Beta and Alpha immediately shut up and looked at their leader.

"_**Beta, you should never let personal rivalries get in the way of business. You know how Gamma is; a little interrogation and he might clue them in on Lord Grodus' plans." **_

Beta's face turned red with embarrassment. He felt like a fool in front of his superior.

But, of course, Omega had that effect on everybody.

"_**And even more importantly, the invasion is starting very soon, at noon sharp. That will be in two hours. We have to make sure everything goes smoothly, and Gamma's absence will be troubling. Your past actions have been foolish. If it were not for the haste of the incoming mission, I would punish you. Be happy that this will not happen; you'll never get another freebie like this again."**_

Before the reprimanded X-naut could apologize, the intercom buzzed.

"X-SQUAD MEMBERS PLEASE REPORT TO THE COMMAND ROOM IMMEDIATLEY. ALL OTHER X-NAUTS MAKE SURE THAT ALL PERSONAL PREPARATIONS ARE FINISHED BECAUSE THE MISSION STARTS IN ONE HOUR. THAT IS ALL."

"_**Let's go,"**_ Omega muttered. The X-Squad left the lounge room.

-

"Oh Mario, we thought you'd _never_ come!" Goombella jumped into the plumbers arms and the two shared a heartfelt embrace. The other members cheered and talked with each other, the buzz starting because of the hero's return. Brick and Bob-omb, meanwhile, finished tying the lifeboat to the dock and prepared to take the stirring Shuck out of the boat.

Flurrie ran up and delivered a knock-out kiss that sent Mario to the ground in a daze. "Oh, darling, you haven't visited in such a long time. Heaven, I've already preformed _five_ different plays while you were gone!"

Ms. Mowz jumped towards Mario and pecked him on the cheek when he got up; Mario sighed as he remembered how many females were in his party. Females that _liked_ him.

"My little hunk of cheese, we meet again! Really, it's been _too_ long." The thief reminisced about the olden days when she worked with Mario to steal all of those valuables. Vivian thankfully took a softer approach, choosing to blush and greet the plumber instead of glomping him like the other females.

After going through all of the hugs and kisses, Mario looked to see the other two members among him.

Koops nervously scratched the back of his head and stuttered. "H-hey, Mario, what's up? You know, before you got here, this-" the timid koopa was quickly interrupted, to his chagrin.

"Yo' Gonzales! You've been gone from the ring for too long! I can totally take you now, just BRING IT!" The yoshi kid, named Brawler by Mario, shouted with vigor.

'_He still has a penchant to talk trash' _Mario thought while smiling. He patted Brawler on the head, and beamed at him.

"You've grown so much over the years!" he stated with a smile on his face. Indeed, the child was now double his stature from the last time Mario saw him."After I finish with business here, we can battle if you want," the plumber offered, acknowledging and accepting the young yoshi's challenge. Mario then let go of Brawler and walked up to Koops.

"Hey Koops, what's up? How are Koopley and Koopie Koo doing?"

The turtle smiled and chuckled, his hand once again scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Oh, uh, they're doing okay! Everything's been normal, and mayor Kroop still has the same bad hearing, heh…" Mario nodded.

He looked around with puzzlement, and then finally asked the others.

"Where's Bobbery?"

The party members looked at each other with contorted faces.

-

"What do you mean, 'with one of those bad guys'?" Mario asked as they entered the bar/inn that was located in the middle of the town square. Before he, his partners, and Brick and Bob-omb went up the stairs, Mario made sure to wave at the Beanish Bartender cleaning the glasses.

"Yeah! You know those wannabe foot soldiers that we beat down in our adventure!" Brawler shouted, obviously unable to control his excitement.

"…..X…nauts?"

Before anyone could answer, Mario saw him. Tied up against the wall, with Bobbery standing guard beside him, was Gamma.

The X-Squad PhD looked nothing like his former self, sporting huge comical bumps and bruises, with some dried blood around his uniform. His mouth was taped so that the sly man couldn't annoy the explosive sailor, and he was desperately trying to escape his confinements.

"Gamma…" Mario hissed. He walked up to the X-naut and ripped off the tape from his mouth. Gamma howled in pain, and then spat at Mario with disgust.

"_It's you, specimen! It's your entire fault that I'm here! As soon as I untie myself, I'm gonna'-"_ His ranting was cut short as Bobbery placed a fresh strip of tape over his mouth.

"Sorry," he apologized to Mario. "I just can't take his mindless ranting. That land cat is too annoying for his own good."

Mario agreed. There was a slight silence in the room for moment, (except for the continuous struggling courtesy of Gamma) and no one knew what should be said next.

Brick and Bob-omb laid Captain Shuck on the second bed, and put the sheets over him so he could rest well. Bob-omb gave Mario a questioning look.

"You have a lot to explain," he whispered to the plumber.

Everyone else in the room also looked at Mario with curious eyes, and even Gamma stopped making rustling sounds to see what he had to say.

Mario cleared his throat a couple times, than spoke.

"Okay, guys, I don't know much of what's going on. All I know is that Merlon gave me a message to come here immediately, because something bad would happen here and I was needed." He looked at his fellow sailors.

"So, I came to the harbor looking for a ride here, and I stumbled upon you guys. I had absolutely no knowledge about the X-nauts or this guy." He pointed at Gamma. "I didn't know they were out there and were looking for me. I just thought that I would be coming here to solve some kind of scuffle. I guess I was wrong."

"Well, if that's the case…" Goombella said, before thinking deeply. "…then we should question this guy to see what his motives are." The group turned toward Gamma.

"Listen, you better tell us what you're planning or we'll thrash you!" Brawler shouted at the prisoner before ripping off the fresh tape. Gamma howled once again with pain.

"_Don't think I'll tell you anything, cretin! I won't be broken that easily!"_

Brawler pulled out a mini-egg and prepared to toss it at the helpless scientist.

"Don't play cat and mouse with me, okay, or I'll make sure you hurt!" Ms. Mowz grabbed the young yoshi's hand before he could carry on with his threat.

"Let me handle this, honey."

The thief walked up to the PhD slowly, seductively.

"Honey," she said while stroking the X-naut's chin. "I don't want to hurt you. But I'm afraid I'll have to if you don't tell us what we want to know…"

"_I told you, I won't say a thing! Especially to a little bi-"_

**SLAP.**

"Would you like to say that again, darling?" Ms. Mowz whispered to him, with a vicious undertone.

"_You stuck up little mouse! I wouldn't even want to experiment on you! Why, if-"_

**SLAP.**

"Say that again? I didn't quite **hear you**."

Gamma's cheek was now quite puffed up, and speaking once more would obviously prove to be disastrous for him, so he refused to say a word.

"It's not working…" Koops muttered.

"Last time I let you handle the situation…" Brawler grumbled, annoyed that he had been stopped from unleashing his well deserved rage.

"Don't worry guys," Mario smirked. "I know the _perfect_ guy who will make him talk…"

Everyone looked at him. Gamma gulped loudly.

-

"Wow, that's pretty cool, Gadd!" Luigi exclaimed as he turned off the Poltergust 3000. Gadd was behind a pile of inventions, digging through the wreckage.

"I'm glad you like it, Luigi," E. Gadd replied halfheartedly, since his thoughts were on finding something at the moment. "Now when you charge your thunderbrand while holding onto the nozzle, the charge will create a static attraction to vacuum, and it will have a stronger hold on all spectral beings and foreign objects." He kept digging through the multiple inventions scattered throughout the room.

"Now, if only I can find that… ah, there it is!" E. Gadd pulled out a small chip from the junk and revealed it to Luigi.

"I made a new personality chip for the Poltergust! Now it can tell you how much it can store, any abilities it currently have, etc. All I have to do is integrate it with the hard drive…" Luigi gave the professor the machine. E. Gadd unscrewed the cover of the weapon and started fiddling with the wires.

While E. Gadd was working, Luigi walked to the end of the room and saw FLUDD lying on the table. Currently the robot was offline, and multiple pieces of it were scattered around on the table.

"Hey Gadd, what did you do to FLUDD?"

"Oh, just giving it an upgrade," the old man called back from the other side of the room. "I'm giving it the ability to contain and spit out other liquids, like lava. And then, I'll make FLUDD and the Poltergust 3000 compatible! Just wait! You and your brother will be so happy once these come back to you with a new tune up!"

E. Gadd finished screwing the Poltergust's panel back on and he took it off the counter. "Hey, Luigi, help me bring this into the work room." The two held onto the vacuum and placed on another large work table in a nearby room.

"Thanks," the professor said. "Now go back into the main room, I've got a surprise for you."

Luigi's face perked up in curiosity, and he left the work room like he was told to. He could hear E. Gadd shuffling through some things in the work room, and the plumber couldn't help but wonder what the surprise must be.

"There we go!"

E. Gadd came out of the work room holding a weird metal bracelet. It was thick and bunches of lights and buttons. Gadd handed the plumber the item.

"Uh, thanks but….what is it?" Luigi asked.

"It's my newest invention, the Egaddulator-ghost-power-activator 5001! It is the pinnacle of my research! One of the best badges out there!" The old man beamed with pride, and Luigi's curiosity spiked.

"When you activate it, the special generic powers of ghosts will be yours! The special ghost DNA stored in the bracelet joins and envelops the chromosomes located in your body! Once that happens, the combined data from the DNA will…" By now, Luigi was ignoring the scientific man and focusing on the bracelet.

He slipped it on his left arm, and could feel the machine automatically grip his wrist. He could also feel faint spectral energy emanating from the device, ready to release it at the touch of a button. He smiled. This would be useful, and now he was stronger in battle. He turned his ear back to Gadd.

"….and the nitrogen bases will be mutated to contain chemicals that are located only in ghosts, then activate in your body and allow you to turn invisible at will! In addition, you'll also have all the generic abilities of ghosts such as being telekinetic, and absorb certain elements! I made it so it'll be easier for you to fight and observe ghosts!"

Luigi nodded, making sure he knew the exact characteristics of this badge. "Can anyone else use it?" He asked.

"No," E. Gadd answered in a scientist's voice. "I've developed this badge to bond with only your body structure, so only you can use it. But beware! This is only a prototype and it is not to be used excessively! It drains your energy quickly and doesn't last long, so use it only when absolutely needed! I'm working on the final version; it should be completed in time."

There was a slight silence, then Gadd walked up to Luigi and placed his hand on the bracelet.

"I trust you with this, my life's work. Use it properly."

Luigi looked into E. Gadd's eyes, and saw the warm sparkles they gave off. He nodded.

-

"So we can leave him with you, Frankie?" Mario asked the blue-skinned pianta. The mob leader nodded.

"Don't worry, we'll break dis' fool," Frankie assured. The tied up Gamma violently tried to escape the ropes he was tied up with, but was silenced by Frankie's two bodyguards, Tony and Vinny. Vinny walked up to Mario and party, pushing them away.

"Sorry, but the pianta syndicate's methods of interrogation is classified. You guys gotta' leave, come back in half of da' 'hour."

Ms. Mowz nodded in understanding and motioned for the rest of the members. "Guys, it would be in our benefit if we heed to their word." Mario agreed.

"Thanks again for doing this for free, Frankie!" He shouted quickly as he and the other's left.

"Don' worry 'bout it! You helped me and Francesca get da' good eye of the boss; the pianta syndicate's got your back!"

Koops closed the door behind them as they went down the stairs and through the shop that served as a front. They headed to the outside, appearing in the west side of Rogueport. They walked into the small garden located at the end of the road, and talked over their plans.

"I don't like the feel of this…" Vivian whispered.

"Neither do I, dear," Flurrie agreed.

Mario rested his hand on his chin in thought. "What are we going to do?"

Brick piped up. "Well, me and Bob-omb are gonna go back to the inn to check up on the cap'n… we're his crewmates and we can't leave him." Mario looked at the two with understanding.

"Okay then, go to the inn. I hope Shuck gets better…"

"Don't worry, he will," Bob-omb replied. "We wouldn't follow someone who was a sissy, would we? Cap'n is tougher than that. C'mon Brick, we have to go." And with that, the two left the west-side of Rogueport, refusing to look back.

"Oi, Mario, check your suitcase. Maybe there's something in there that can help us, if something bad happens"

"Good idea, Bobbery!" Mario chimed before taking out the container and flipping it open. "I haven't really checked what's inside here, so just wait a moment…" he scattered the contents in the suitcase around, looking for anything valuable.

"Nothing much, just my hammer, clothes, and a couple of badges and powerful items…. oh! My ultra boots are in here!" Mario took off his regular boots and slipped on the red pair. He closed the suitcase.

"Nothing else," he concluded.

Goombella sighed. "So, what should we do?" She asked. Everyone shrugged.

"Wanna' go to the pianta parlor?" Koops asked the rest of the members. They looked at him in surprise.

-

"Heh heh, that's what I'm talking about!" Brawler celebrated as he collected all of the pianta coins that came out of the slot machine. "Lucky number seven! Good times are coming my way!" Goombella pouted beside him.

"No fair, I've been at this slot machine for fifteen minutes and I haven't won a single coin! It must be rigged!" Brawler laughed at the girl. "Sorry, but lady luck's on MY side!"

While the two were at the slot machines, Koops was playing Mushroom World card battle with Vivian.

"Okay, my turn!" Koops announced as he drew a card. "Sweet, I sacrifice Toad to play Mario in attack mode! (Atk/2300/Def/1600)" Vivian opened her mouth in surprise.

"Wow, how did you get that card? That's ultra rare! I've been trying to get that for a month now!" Koops smiled with embarrassment as he continued.

"Since Mario gets a 400 attack power boost for every fighter on the field whose group is 'Peach's Army' he gets 800 more attack points since I have Goombario and Kooper on the field!" Vivian closed her eyes; she knew what was going to happen next. "Kooper, Goombario, destroy her 'WarioWare: Orbulon', and her 'WarioWare: Penny Crygor!' Both of Vivian's fighter's were destroyed, she only had one fighter left and that was 'Toad Bartender'. She had only 2400 HP left. 

"Now, Mario, attack her Toad Bartender!" Koops shouted, with victory at hand.

"Not so fast!" Vivian replied, and flipped over one of her face down cards. "I activate 'Wario Bomb!' Your fighter is defeated! Goodbye, Mario!" Koops grunted and put his card into the grave.

"Okay," he muttered, unhappy with the defeat of his best card. "Your turn…"

Vivian drew, smiled, and revealed her newest card to Koops. Koops almost fainted.

"Are you serious, a 1-up mushroom?!?!"

While the two were battling, Mario and Flurrie rose from a small pipe in the corner of the room.

"Oh yeah, new score in the paper boat game!" Mario shouted while giving Flurrie a high-five.

"Dear, if anyone can beat that score, then I'd sue the pianta parlor for fraud!" The cloud spirit joked as they looked at Ms. Mowz. She was currently at the counter. She walked up to the plumber and his partner, and revealed her newest badges. 

"I needed a new refund badge for my shop," Ms. Mowz said, while tucking the circular badge in her pocket. 

"Nice, how much was it?" Mario asked.

"Zero coins for me, my piece of cheese! I stole it!" She smiled in glee, not noticing the plumber's reaction.

Mario sweat-dropped.

'_Same old Ms. Mowz,' _Mario thought.

Suddenly, the entrance doors burst open and Bobbery rushed between everyone.

"Lads, come to Frankie's office immediately! They got the villain to talk, and the land-lubber has some very negative news!"

Everyone stopped what they were doing and rushed outside.

-

The party of heroes burst outside and headed toward Frankie's office. Brawler looked up in the sky.

"Yo, guys, _WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?" _Mario and co. raised their heads to where Brawler was pointing, and saw a huge shadow appearing above the clouds. It was rapidly lowering, and the town of Rogueport was slowly being covered in shadow.

Just like when the Shadow Queen was released upon the world.

Mario started to quiver. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

"Just forget about that for now; let's get into Frankie's office!"

Everyone burst through the Pianta Syndicate front, a 'very legal' items shop, and through the back door before the shop manger, Lahla, could ask them what their favorite colour was. A few steps and door later, and Mario burst into the room holding Tony, Vinny, Frankie, and an unruly Gamma.

"What the heck is happening out there?!?" Mario demanded, pointing at Gamma who was still tied up, but without the tape.

The PhD laughed senselessly. _"It's too late for you, specimen! The invasion is about to begin! You'll be spliced into atoms before you can even understand the predicament that you're in!"_

Brawler rushed up to Gamma and grabbed him by the collar. "Don't mess with us! Spit it out, NOW!"

Gamma smirked, enjoying the fact that he had irked the yoshi kid. "_It doesn't matter what I say now, simpleton, you'll still be destroyed! The Secret Society of X-nauts has been revived by a new force, and now by working together, no one can stop us!"_

Mario pushed Brawler away and grabbed the trapped X-naut. "What do you want in Rogueport?!?"He shouted.

"_This run down place is perfect for our new base of operations, so we're gonna take it! Then, we're going to locate the __**Grand Shine**__!" _

Before Mario could ask what the Grand Shine was, a loud rumbling noise was heard outside and it distracted everyone in the room. "What's going on?" Mario pondered.

"_They're here, fool! Look outside and accept your doom!"_

The plumber dropped Gamma to the floor and smacked the windows open. The rest of Mario's partners ran beside him, trying to get a view of what was happening outside.

All of Rogueport was now cast in Shadow, and Mario could see a huge airship hovering over the town. There was a large screen on the side of it, which showed an ugly mug that Mario thought he'd never seen again.

Everyone back on the streets of Rogueport stopped what they were doing and looked up to see Crump laughing on the screen.

"**BUH, BUH HUH! BUH HUH HUH HUH HUH! PEOPLE OF ROGUEPORT, THIS IS LORD CRUMP SPEAKING! FROM HERE ON OUT, ALL OF THIS LAND IS PROPERTY OF THE SECRET SOCIETY OF X-NAUTS! YOU HAVE TEN SECONDS TO SURRENDER, OR WE WILL TAKE OVER BY FORCE!"**

The people below the airship were skeptical.

"Who's the weirdo on the screen?" One asked.

"Life just get's weirder and weirder…" spoke another.

A drunken mouse stood in the corner of house, drinking his tasty tonic. "Whaaaa….what that guy doin' on tha thing…. He interrupting my dwink!"

"Mommy, that man is scaring me…." A child clutched onto his mother while whispering.

"Don't look Tommy; ego-maniacs are a bad influence." The mother spoke while covering Tommy's eyes.

"**BUH HUH HUH HUH! VERY WELL, I WARNED YOU! ALL OF THE PROPERTY HERE IS OURS! WE WILL TAKE ALL OF YOUR VALUABLES BY FORCE!"**

Suddenly, the metal panel under the screen started to slowly open. In the inside of the airship, Mario and co. could see hundreds of X-nauts lined up in front. As soon as the hatch opened completely, X-naut after X-naut started to jump out of the airship and slowly floated down to Rogueport, their parachutes preventing them from dropping to their death. The sky was filled with red and white dots wearing parachutes, and the citizens started screaming with fear as the soldiers pulled out plasma guns and started blasting at the floor.

The noise, filled with terror was enough to break Mario from his stupor and turn towards his partners. "Guys, we have to stop them!" He pulled out his suitcase and flung it open, distributing a number of items to each member.

"Here are some items for you to use, okay? We have to make sure that we protect the citizens who can't fight for themselves!" He looked at Frankie, who finished talking on his cell phone and put it away.

"Okay boys," he said speaking to Tony and Vinny. "The pianta parlor has been secured, and the item shop has been cleared out. Francesca has been notified at home and the don has been moved to a safe place." Vinny nodded and pulled out a wooden panel, revealing a hidden passageway underneath.

"Let's go boss, we don't have time to waste."

Frankie nodded and the trio of mafia members started heading down to the passageway. Right before Frankie stepped into the cave, he looked at Mario.

"I give my apologies, but there's too much at risk for da' syndicate. You're on your own…" and before Mario could protest, the mafia leader and his guards had already gone down the passageway and had replaced the wood panel.

Mario and his partners were the only one left.

"Okay, let's-a"

**BOOM!**

Suddenly the door burst to pieces, splinters and wood pieces flying around the room. When the dust cleared, Mario could see all of the X-nauts entering and surrounding the room, backing the group into a corner. They drew their guns and pointed them towards the heroes, ready to pull the trigger at any moment.

'_No, we're too late!' _Mario thought.

An X-naut in the middle of the surrounding group, one who held a bazooka, spoke.

"Halt! Everyone in this room is subjected to arrest and will be brought upon Lord Crump for judgment! Surrender all belongings of yours to us and lay on the floor!" Mario stole a quick glance at the window. The first two waves of soldiers had already landed, and dozens more were still making their way down.

And that was only the west side.

"M-Mario…what should we do?" whispered Vivian, stuttering with fear.

The plumber got into a battle position and his fists grew red with flames. "Fight our way out, and possibly be obliterated, or surrender and die. That is our options."

Brawler prepared to pull out a mini-egg. He smirked. "Get rich, or die trying," he proposed.

"Don't move!" Shouted the bazooka-holding soldier, he seemed to be the leader. Mario ignored him.

"Sorry, but I want to stretch my muscles." He leaped into action, prepared to blast the squadron leader with a fireball, but the X-naut was too fast. He leveled his bazooka, and fired.

Mario's eyes widened with fear as he tried to dodge the blast, but it was too late. The shell impacted his body, and with a huge explosion, sent his body flying through the window and into a free-falling dive towards the floor.

'_H-how…no…guys…' _was Mario's last thought before his eyes closed, knocked out, and he hit the ground. He could hear the screams of his friends, and he felt the welcoming embrace of unconsciousness.

-

"GADZOOKS!" E. Gadd shrieked when the floor rumbled violently. Yells and screams were heard on the main floor, and the sound of something powerful impacting the castle.

Luigi was holding onto the table for balance until the rumbling stopped.

"What was that?" The professor asked, bewildered.

"I don't know, but the princess was just screaming!" Luigi grabbed the Egaddulator-ghost-power-activator 5001 and quickly equipped it on his left wrist.

"I'll be back!" he shouted back to E. Gadd before running up the stairs and out of sight. Gadd desperately tried to call the younger brother back, but his pleas were falling on deaf ears.

Luigi kept sprinting up the stairs, hoping that he could get to the princess in time while wondering what those rumbling sounds were.

He was so worried about the princess that he failed to remember the prophecy that Merlon had chanted earlier that morning…

"_Meanwhile, the oracle has told me that very soon, your time will come to rise up and protect the Mushroom Kingdom. Your need for recognition will be answered; if you can drive away the forces that threaten us, you will be known as a hero equal to your brother."_

"…_but, If you are to fail us… not only will you not gain recognition… but you may possibly put all of the Mushroom World in danger."_

He saw a light at the end of the rising staircase, and he didn't even have to push open the door, since it had already been blown to smithereens. Luigi jumped into the main room.

The whole room was full of smoke, dust, cracks on the floor and black spots. Guards and regular toads lay on the floor, injured, maimed, unconscious, or dead. The floor was stained with red.

In front of the French entrance doors stood two people, one female and tall, one male and short. Peach stood at the opposite end of them, her hands over her mouth, quivering with fear. Luigi was in-between the two.

"No…. you aren't alive… you can't be… we killed you two!" He shouted at the intruders.

"It is the fink-rat who has greenness, mistress! I HAVE FURY!" The short one screeched incoherently.

"Oh, I am very alive, mind you! Eya ha ha ha ha! " The tall one flicked her right hand one way, and a bolt of lightning targeted the plumber. Luigi barely dodged, jumping back and landing on his end. He did not move, still mortified by the return of these enemies.

"Cackeletta….Fawful…" Peach whispered, and fell to her knees in fear. Luigi rose slowly, knees shaking violently.

"I…I won't let you get the princess!" He shouted with courage.

Cackeletta sneered. "Did you hear that, Fawful? They think we're after the princess!" The toady chuckled, which was really a high pitched laugh, if you consider the person who was laughing.

"Fururururu…. These people are idiots of foolishness! I have laughter at their stupidity!"

Luigi's eyebrows furrowed. "Well then what do you want?!?"

Fawful laughed and activated his headgear. From the cracks in the walls of the castle, familiar yellow stars started to appear and be sucked into the machine that Fawful wore on his cranium. More explosions and rumbling was felt. Cackeletta was attacking the castle with lightning bolts outside.

"Eya ha ha ha! We're after something FAR more important!" she whispered evilly. Her eyes opened in mad glee and she spoke diabolically.

"_**We're after your power stars…**_**"**

**-**

_Meanwhile…_

In the darkness of a room of an eerie place, a lone figure walked past the gloomy stairs and stopped in front of two beings. One sat on a large golden throne, the shadows mingling with his form, protecting him from the sight of others. The other stood beside this person, grinning manically. The two were definitely _not _human, or anything one had ever seen before. They both were made of the shadows, which were crudely shaped as human figures. The intruding person kneeled on one knee in front of the throne. He placed his hand on his chest.

"I've gotten word, master. The strike on the Mushroom World has officially begun. The _quatre guerriers_ have moved, and each member has attacked already."

"Excellent," the master spoke in a monotone, creepy voice. "Any other news?"

"Yes," the person said in a matter-of-fact voice. "The oracle has been located in Rogueport, the same place where Grodus' lieutenant is starting attack."

The figure reclining in the throne made a face that seemed to be interpreted as a frown. "This is not good… does he know of the prophecy already? …It had to be those wizards; they are beginning to interfere with my plans…"

The smirking being beside the speaker grinned, while pondering. "Do you think they'll be able to get the job done?" He asked to the one in front of them.

"Hold your tongue, Toxic," the person ordered. "Master chose them for a reason; he takes interest in their skills."

Toxic frowned, obviously to his annoyance. "Ssshut up, War! I was jussst asssking!" He smiled devilishly. "I hope they all fail… ssso I can kill them myssself and complete the missssion…"

The person named War retaliated. "Enough, Toxic! Do you really wish to have our master's plan undone?"

The two continued squabbling until the thing in the throne silenced them.

"Enough," he ordered and the two moved their eyes toward him.

"The _quatre guerriers _will take care of the relics, your job is to protect me and keep me steady with bodies I can possess…" He looked down at his hand, the shadows around it swirling randomly.

"Right now, too much of my energy is locked away for me to hold my true form… and I don't have the strength to take that body I wanted, so I'll wait for the _un guerrier _to obtain the treasure of the west. Until then, put that body in stasis until I am powerful enough to obtain it…"

Toxic and War bowed their heads.

"As you wish, master," they both said.

-

_Sarasaland, Daisy's Castle:_

Another pair of Snifits was killed as the four figures walked in deeper into the Castle. Daisy stood on top of the balcony of the room, her back against the wall – there was no where to go. Oozing red coated the walls of the castle, and the freshly-waxed marble floors were dull with damage.

The four figures spoke.

"Axem red! It is not honourable to cut down an enemy from behind!" A short samurai-armored figure lectured.

The red figure, which looked distinctly like yet different from the super sentai, retorted.

"Quiet, Boomer! These guys are so weak; it doesn't matter if we kill them from behind or not! You're just lucky you've been revived and upgraded into a lieutenant!"

A spear wielding machine who looked like a spear himself, sneered. "At least he's not late getting to Sarasaland." Red's face turned into one of anger and embarrassment.

"It's not _my _fault, Yaridovich," he said, making a quick excuse. "The other rangers were holding me back!"

"Sure, sure."

"I'm serious!"

"OBJECTIVE COMPLETED," the fourth figure announced. He was tall and very robotic, and his arms, legs, and torso were thick with panels that concealed weapons. "TERMINATION OF GUARDS COMPLETE. TARGET… DAISY, PRINCESS OF SARASALAND. NEXT OBJECTIVE, INTERROGATION OF THE PRINCESS TO LEARN THE LOCATION OF TREASURE OF THE WEST."

Axem red rolled his eyes, and looked at Yaridovich. "I don't like the new guy," he complained. Yaridovich nodded in agreement.

Daisy trembled and spoke with a voice so quiet, so terrified.

"W-what are you going to do?" She asked.

"You heard S.S.M.M., tell us where the **Demon's Star** is. NOW.

S.S.M.M. beeped. "COMPETION OF MISSION," he said, "WILL MAKE MASTER SMITHY PROUD."

-

_Beanbean Kingdom, Beanbean Castle_

Prince Peasley jumped back to avoid the incoming egg, then sliced the thrown bomb in half, the object exploding in the air with a shower of sparks. He cleaned off his rapier.

"Come on, I think you can do better than that!" he mocked.

A bulbous mouse creature with sunglasses fared with anger. "Did you hear that, Birdo?" he said. "I think he just called us weaklings."

Birdo spat out another egg, which Peasley dodged. "I heard, Mouser! Let's show him what we've got!"

Peasley got into a fighting position but before the fight could resume, the prince was surprised by and consumed by a large bubble. He turned around to see a large Toad with a gold crown and a yellow robe sneer. Mouser and Birdo put away their weapons, annoyed slightly by the intrusion. "Boooosssss…." Mouser whined. "We could've handled him!"

Ignoring his minions, the toad laughed haughtily. "Do you think you can stop us? I am the great Wart! WAHAHA!" he turned to his companions.

"Finish him! We have bigger fish to fry! We must obtain the **Beanstar**!"

Mouser grinned and pulled out a large bomb. Birdo's chest rose as she planned to blast an egg. Peasley gulped.

-

It had started, begun, no one was safe. A war had begun…

With the Mushroom World at stake.

-

**DONE! Oh, yeah! Did you like the chapter? Huh? HUHUHUHUHUHUH?!?!?!?!?!!? Y'okay, if you want the word document of this, which is so much better, than just give me your email and I'll send it kk? **

**Yeah, sorry, I said that the rival would appear this chapter, but I'm the author and I chose to change it! I was going to include him… and some more text, but I decided to leave a cliffhanger – Mario's K.O.'ed, Luigi's alone against a powerful bean team, Smithy has come back and Wart and his two minions are back to cause trouble. What is the Demon's Star?**

**If you don't know who Smithy or his minions are, check on Super Mario Wiki, or to a lesser extent Wikipedia. If you still don't understand just ask me. Actually, I've never played SMRPG, so I used Mario wiki to find out about these guys. I've been wanting to use them for a while. Anyway I didn't use those other Lieutenants cause I don't want to, and the arrow guy has a speech I can't write at the moment. SO YEAH, DEAL WITH IT! (if I messed up their personalities, sorry!)**

**More importantly, a new force has appeared. With War and Toxic by his side, will this evil prevail? Well, you won't find out next chapter, but stay tuned anyway. R&R PLZ! **

**Anyway, you can still try and guess who the rival will be! PPL who already guessed can guess once again! Winner gets a free preview lolz!**

**Now for a question:**

**Do you like the return of these enemies? (Wart especially, don't worry he won't be in the fic TOO long, heheheh….)**

**That's all for now, folks. Stay tuned on my author file, or you can talk to me on the SMBZ forums. It's in my author page, the Ep. 6 preview link for SMBZ. Now go watch it, and chat with me there! Soon, when I have time, I'll remove this chapter and add an extra and repost it.**

**Special Thx to:**

_Mandew for enjoying it_

_Oni for being patient and enjoying it and being cool overall lolz._

_Selanp for cheering me on and giving me tips. THX!_

_Queen Sunstar for leaving a review_

**And others for reading. **

**These special thx are to ppl both on fanfiction and the SMBZ forums, kk?**

**Extra:**

Mario and Luigi: Partners in Crime – Part 1

_Based off a typo on a flyer in the Mario and Luigi Partners in time case_

_Think of this as a "What if?" What if Bowser was killed but these enemies never appeared? What would happen?_

Mario looked at the document in his hands once more, and it took every bit of strength he had not to crumple it and burn it with his firehand. Luigi stood beside him, his face glum.

"How could they do this to us?" Mario asked to his brother. When Luigi did not answer, Mario continued his ranting.

"I mean, seriously! We've devoted our time to saving their princess all the time and they repay us by making us file for bankruptcy!"

Luigi whispered. "Bro, we haven't paid the last couple bills and we didn't pay for the new furniture…" Mario eyed him angrily.

"And you know why? It's because we don't have enough coins to pay for it. And that is because we haven't been working in the last while, and _that_ is because our time is used to save that inane princess!"

Luigi sighed. "She won't even help us with our dilemma…" He sat in the nearest chair, glooming. "Mario…what are we gonna' do?"

The older brother looked up in thought before smiling and crushing the document that held their predicament. In his hand, the ball exploded in fire and burnt to a crisp, flaming pieces falling towards the ground and dissipating into nothingness. Mario smiled, and looked at his brother.

"Write back a letter to the companies and tell them that everything will be paid by the end of the month," he said. Luigi looked perplexed.

"And what will we do?" he asked.

Mario stood up and opened the front door. He looked out the never ending mountains and castles, the healthy green land bursting out with excitement.

He smiled.

"We are going to take what's rightfully ours, bro'…" he answered then chuckled suspiciously.

The people of the Mushroom Kingdom would never view the two plumbers the same again…

-

**Don't worry… this tale will continue, part 2 starting in chapter 5… it will be my mini ideas that will not come to fruition b/c I am working on one story at a time, and that is this.**

**Plz do not ask me about chapter 5, right now I'm taking a break from that and I don't know when I will start it. So plz be patient.**

**See ya' next chap!**


	5. Retaliation, the Means of a Struggle

**I'm finisheddddddd…… nooooowwwww, time to reaaadddddddd! (Yes, I am a horrible singer)**

_**Chapter 5**_

_**Retaliation, the Means of a Struggle**_

The room was silent, both Luigi and Cackletta staring each other down. The witch smirked, and another bolt of electricity struck the castle wall with a swipe of her hand. From that impact, a large crack formed, and suddenly power stars were pulled into Fawful's notorious headgear. Luigi looked around the room, noticing that it was starting to turn grey.

The vibrant pink that Luigi was used to was nothing but a dull colour, which brought on a feeling of despair for those who saw it.

Peach's eyes were downcast.

"The power stars are responsible for the positive energy in and around the castle…their disappearance is causing the castle to lose power… and it's turning grey as a result…"

Luigi's attention changed to the princess. "But then why didn't the castle turn grey when Bowser took them?" he asked, pondering.

"When Bowser took the power stars, they still remained in the castle; he just had them under his control. That…hideous bean thing has taken the stars and stored them in that mechanical cranium of his!"

Fawful opened his mouth quickly to retort in anger, but his mistress beat him to the punch.

"That's right, watch as your precious stars are taken away by the second! We won't leave until we suck your castle dry of power!" She pointed towards Luigi. "And it seems that your brother isn't here, what luck! That makes our mission even easier!"

She swiped her hand once more, allowing a trail of electricity to strike the castle wall. Another crack formed, and two more power stars emerged and were absorbed by Fawful's headgear. The whole room turned into a pale grey.

"Come, Fawful! That's all the power stars in this room, let's move on! We don't have time to waste!"

The toady laughed and the devilish duo continued their way, ignoring Luigi and Peach.

Luigi tried to move but couldn't. His legs were as hard as stone and Luigi could feel the blood drain from his face. He was scared.

'_N-no… I…I can't let them get away… but I can't move, I'm so scared! _

…_Maybe I am useless after all…'_

But as Cackletta and Fawful proceeded to leave, Luigi felt something in his heart leap, and he did something that no one would expect.

"W-wait! Where do you think you are going?!?" he shouted with a burst of courage.

Cackletta stopped abruptly. Her face changed to one of anger, and she slowly looked at the younger brother.

"**You…" **she whispered, her eyes slanted with a dark aura protruding from her body. "**What are **_**you**_** going to do about it?"**

"I am having enough of your gabble!" Fawful shouted angrily. "You have the trying to take away the knife of Cackletta which smears the mustard on her sandwich! THE KNIFE OF YOUR DOOM!"

Fawful cried out as he activated his primary weapon. The headgear started blasting energy balls headed towards the green plumber and Luigi was immediately on the move.

Using his trademark jumping skills, the younger brother leaped away from the first shots and landed close to the wall. Repeated blasts from Fawful kept Luigi from advancing, and he had to roll across the floor to avoid the machine gun-like fire.

Fawful growled as the headgear overheated and his barrage ceased. That didn't stop him, though, and he pulled out a wacky looking handgun.

"Have the exhibiting of fear! My _Fink-Rat-Zapper _will have your destruction served on a platter that is dirty!"

The little bean furiously started firing beams of energy and Luigi was once again being forced to dodge.

Luigi swivelled his body to the left to dodge another beam. He jumped away from that area easily, for it was taking Fawful a while before the gun was charged up again.

'_hmm, it's a long range weapon but takes a while to fire…'_

Luigi had an idea. He ran towards the wall, his back almost touching the cracked bricks. He mocked the bean, while thinking to himself.

'_What am I doing? I don't know, but I have a weird feeling in me… one that wants to win!'_

"Hey Fawful," He shouted, attracting the toady's attention. "Look at me, fururrurururu! I talk funny, fururrururu! I have the need for a snack cake fururrururru! Mustard and fury, fururururrru!"

"I HAVE FURY!" Fawful bellowed as he aimed his Fink-Rat-Zapper at his taunter.

"I haven't the speaking of that way! It is not furrrurrrurrurururrru, its _furururururururu_! DIE!" he fired straight at Luigi.

Luigi sweat-dropped.

'_I thought he'd be angry that I'm making fun of him, not because I'm not doing it properly…'_

He thrust his arms out, his right beginning to be covered with green flames and the left crackling with blue electricity. A few moments before Fawful's beam struck, the plumber executed an amazing back flip to plant his feet on the wall. The blast struck the wall directly below him, but Luigi was ready and with a spring in his legs he pelted himself off the wall and straight to the little bean.

"Auughness! You will not have the defeating of me, green one!" Fawful cried before activating his headgear once more and shooting energy balls at the moustachioed marvel.

Luigi flicked his arms toward his enemy, chucking fire and electric balls to negate the blasts. The projectiles met with velocity, and the result was a huge explosion of smoke.

Fawful brought up his guard while trying to see through the shadows. His eyes darted back and forth, hoping to catch a glimpse of his opponent.

Suddenly a hammer emerged from the smoke, aimed at Fawful. The tiny bean saw it but couldn't react in time, and the gold plated weapon smashed him in his side.

Cackeletta stood to the side, watching silently.

'_He's lost his concentration again, that Fawful…' _she thought while sighing.

The smoke still filled the air, and everyone watched in silence. Suddenly Fawful flew out of the screen and smacked the wall. He slowly got up, cringing and holding his thigh with his left arm.

"Fink-rat…you had the shot of luckiness…" he spat while coughing.

Whatever injures were sustained were covered by his robe, and Fawful ignored the pain. Aiming his Fink-Rat-Zapper at the smoke, the bean readied himself before firing. The beam of energy went straight into the smoke, and an impact could be heard.

Cackletta smirked and Peach gasped.

'_Checkmate' _the witch thought.

The smoke was suddenly blown away, and its contents surprised everyone in the room. There was Luigi, his hair slightly messy and a bit of his green attire burned off near the shoulder, but he stood tall holding a hammer that cackled with electricity.

The plumber smirked at Fawful. "What's wrong? That last blast didn't seem to have the same 'oomph' as last time…or maybe it was my thunder hammer…fire again, please, so I can check!"

Fawful seethed with anger and Luigi felt it again.

'_This feeling… it's one that I haven't felt before…it…it makes me want to fight and win! And…I think I can!" _

The green-clothed brother rushed at Fawful, preparing to deliver the finishing blow. The bean desperately tried to shoot him down, but to no avail. Luigi was pumped up with adrenaline and he dodged each blast from Fawful's headgear with ease. Fawful fired his Fink-Rat-Zapper, but Luigi deflected that with his thunder hammer.

Luigi jumped up and prepared to smash his hammer straight into Fawful's cranium, but Cackletta made an unexpected move. She appeared in the air and struck at Luigi with her clawed hands, Luigi managing to dodge while slamming the hammer into Cackeletta.

He gasped with surprise as "Cackletta" exploded and a flurry of bats emerged, blinding him while the real Cackletta came up behind him and struck him down with her right hand. Luigi crashed to the ground.

Cackletta continued to hover in the air before she snapped at Fawful.

"Again, Fawful! You lost your focus and you would've been beaten by this plumber! Make sure you don't make the same mistake again, or next time I won't save you!"

Fawful lowered his head and mumbled. "O of the Kay, mistress. I am having sorryness for my actions…"

Cackletta nodded and looked back at the debris which she sent her opponent into.

Luigi slowly rose from the ground, the whole sleeve on his left arm ripped off and bruises forming on his body. He raised his hammer in a defensive position and prepared for Cackletta's next attack. The witch laughed.

"Eeyah ha ha ha ha! Do you actually think you can defeat me by yourself? I pity you!"

Luigi's face was covered in the shadow of his hat, he made no response. Cackletta continued to belittle him.

"You fight as if you are the kingdom's hero! Do you not see? You are nothing compared to your bro-"

"Shut up!"

Cackletta raised her eyebrow in amusement.

Luigi shouted angrily.

"I know I'm nothing compared to my brother! I'm not as skilled as him, but because of that you all shun me and think I'm nothing?!? I can fight too!" He got into battle position, raising his hammer higher into the air.

"You want to fight my brother? Well too bad! He isn't here right now, so you'll have to deal with me!"

Cackletta laughed again and lowered to the floor. Luigi launched himself at her but with a flick of her hand, she struck him down with a bolt of lightning. Luigi fell to his knees, coughing up smoke.

"Eeyah ha ha ha ha! Your anger made you lose your guard! If you want to prove yourself, then pay attention!"

"Mistress, please let me have the taking of the life that is green!" begged Fawful, angry at Luigi almost defeating him.

Cackletta waved him off. "Be lax, Fawful. I want to handle him myself." The bean sighed, his fury being denied.

Cackletta looked once again at Luigi. He rose to his feet and rushed at her again, throwing a left punch that she dodged. She jumped back and unleashed a bolt of lightning, which missed barely as the plumber managed to roll away. Once again Luigi jumped to his feet and rushed the witch, jumping high and trying to stomp on her head, but Cackletta was fast. She moved out of the way and underneath her was a black hole, the same one that increased the gravity on the unfortunate one to fall in there.

Luigi tried to get away but he was already landing. He fell straight into the dark hole and immediately felt as if his body and the air around him had doubled in weight. Cackletta laughed heartily as he returned above ground, knowing that he was trapped.

"Eeyah ha ha ha! What are you going to do now, green one? You have completely and pathetically fallen into my trap!" She waved her hand slightly, a bolt of lightning striking the ground right beside him, missing purposely.

"You couldn't have dodged that, could you?" she asked, chuckling. Fawful laughed along with her, while Luigi could do nothing but growl. He tried to jump backwards to put some distance between them, but could do nothing but a small leap.

'_Limited this much, not good,' _he thought while digging in his pocket. He pulled out a green pepper, surprising Cackletta.

"Eeyah ha ha HURGH?!? Where'd you get that?"

Luigi smirked.

"Well, E. Gadd _did_ say to bring _all_ of my best items… so I guess I was lucky to keep this in my pocket!"

Luigi ate the entire pepper in one bite and felt the weight around him lifted. He ran straight towards the shocked Cackletta, who frantically tossed lightning bolts at him. Each one hit its mark, but there was little effect since the green pepper also boosted defense.

Luigi pulled out his thunder hammer and prepared to strike. Cackletta tried to fly away but she didn't have enough time to make a clean escape.

"MISTRESS!" Fawful shouted to his master, who had no chance. Fawful closed his eyes, he couldn't watch.

"_AAUUUUGGGGHHH!!!!!!!"_

Cackletta flashed in blue as the electricity in the hammer coursed through her. Luigi slammed the hammer right into her gut, and she was absorbing every bit of pain it gave her. She screamed in agony as all the energy in the weapon struck her, then Luigi quickly dropped the hammer giving her an uppercut, burning her in green flames. She dropped onto the floor crumpled, coughing blood and her clothes charred and singed.

Luigi wheezed, exhausted from the use of energy put into the thunder hammer and taking all of her attacks. He grabbed his weapon and pointed it to her head. He smiled.

"You lose."

"D-DO NOT HAVE THE MOVING OF YOUR POSITION!" Fawful screamed, pointing his Fink-Rat-Zapper straight at the princess' head. His arm was shaking tremendously. "THE PRINCESS WILL HAVE THE VAPORIZING OF HER IF YOU DO!"

Luigi glared at the little bean, angered that he had resorted to using a hostage. Peach was speechless, her mouth agape and her heart pounded with fear.

"Help…" she whispered to him.

_**ZAP!**_

Luigi suddenly dropped to the ground as a bolt of electricity struck him. His grip on the hammer let go, as his vision turned to the attacker.

Cackletta rose from her crumpled position, haughtily looking at the plumber. She dusted off her robe, smiling all the while.

"FOOL! You let your guard down again! Eeyah ha ha ha ha!" She turned towards Fawful.

"Good work," she said, acknowledging her minion.

Fawful hastily nodded, relieved that his master was okay.

Cackletta looked down at Luigi once again.

"Oh, you've gotten up?"

Luigi leaned forward clutching his stomach while breathing heavily.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I won't go down easily."

Luigi put away his hammer and stuck out his left hand. The bracelet glimmered with multiple scientific lights. Cackletta raised an eyebrow.

"And what exactly, is that supposed to be?" she sarcastically asked.

Luigi chuckled.

"It's what will end you."

Quickly, a few button presses and cranking the bracelet slightly, and Luigi started glowing with a pale white energy surrounding him. Luigi smirked at the astounded witch.

"Say hello to…"

_The Egaddulator-ghost-power-activator 5001!_

"…the Ghost Bracelet!"

Luigi exploded in a burst of white energy, blowing back Cackletta and Fawful.

-

_Mario? Mario, are you there?_

_Speak to me Mario!_

_Let me wake him up, guys! One mini-egg ought' to do it!_

_Stop, it Brawler! We want to wake him in one piece!_

_Mmm, my hunk of cheese seems to be down for the count…_

…_What should we do?_

"Ughhh…"

Mario's eyes slowly fluttered open and he saw the dull dampened underground system of the Rogueport sewers. The figures of his partners were at first blurry and dull, and Mario initially did not recognize them.

"Where, what…how?" he slurred, asking one of the figures.

"Oh Mario! You're awake!"

"W-wha?" Mario asked drearily.

"It's me, Goombella! Snap out of it!"

Before Mario could answer, a mini egg smacked into his head from out of nowhere, waking up the plumber. "Oww, what was that for?!?" Mario demanded.

Brawler smirked, and brought out another one. "To wake you up!" He answered. Mario quickly shook his head, frantically telling the yoshi kid that he was back to his senses.

"Dear, you were knocked out when that X-naut soldier blasted you with that bazooka," Flurrie said, while handing him a mushroom. "We used almost all of the healing items you had in your suitcase to revive you."

Mario took the item and took a bite out of it, already feeling the restorative powers the mushroom brought him.

"What happened? Wouldn't those soldiers have attacked you?" he asked, feeling stronger. Vivian answered softly.

"It must've been our lucky day; when they saw Gamma, (it took a while, though) they forgot about us immediately and escorted him back to the airship." Ms. Mowz nodded.

"I guess he was more powerful than we thought, no wonder he was such a tough nut to crack."

Mario rose to his feet, feeling much better although he was still noticeably injured. He looked around; realizing that he was in the west side, right under the drain. He could still hear the screams of terror and the sound of violence above him, but it only spurred him to act faster.

"Thanks guys for the help, now let's go," he proposed, pointing to the pipe that would bring them above ground. He tossed the rest of the mushroom in his mouth and started running towards the pipe, his companions following him without hesitation. Mario entered the pipe and the rest followed, exiting the dark world of the sewers to the dirty town of Rogueport.

-

It was pure pandemonium. X-nauts littered the streets, taking control of everything they saw. All the buildings were broken and vandalised, the foot soldiers walking away with the loot. In addition to the en masse of intruders, giant metal crates had also been lowered, which were being used to store all of the stolen goods and place the civilians.

Near the parlour, a doogan was fighting back against a group of X-nauts. He knocked away one, but as soon as he got in a punch he was shot down. They dragged him along and tossed him in one of the crates. A commander signalled and soon the crate was being raised by iron cables connect to the looming airship.

Mario immediately sprang off in its direction, Koops and Bobbery rushing after him. The other members ran off in different directions to help quell the invasion.

A PhD turned to see the plumber run straight at him. "Guys, it's Mario! GET HIM!" Mario screeched to a halt to see dozens of X-nauts surround him. They drew their lasers.

"Ch…I have to stop that crate from being raised, I don't have time for this!" Mario crouched in battle position.

"FIRE!" yelled an elite X-naut, but right before the triggers were pressed, a few of the foot soldiers flew up in the air. Koops spun towards Mario.

"Sorry, it took me a while to catch up to you," he commented after coming out of his shell.

Another group of X-nauts were blown aside as Bobbery leapt into the scene. He smirked at Mario.

"Did you actually think I'd let you go like that, seadog?" he asked before turning towards his enemies. Mario smiled and gestured at the X-nauts. They charged, and Mario attacked.

The plumber dodged a laser from an X-naut soldier and back flipped onto another's head, knocking him out. Quickly he tossed Koops into a group of them, the turtle blasting through the soldiers with ease. Bobbery tossed some of his mini grenades and used his hold fast skill. One X-naut tried to body slam him during this moment, and met an unfortunate end as the sailor detonated at the moment of the impact.

Mario dodged a thrown beaker and punched down the PhD. He looked back at Koops and Bobbery.

"Guys, this is taking to long! Hold them off while I rescue those people in that crate!" Both Koops and Bobbery nodded while Mario started heading towards the rising captives.

A group of X-naut elites stopped him. They drew their weapons.

"You will go no farther!" one of them shouted.

Mario pulled out a fire flower and absorbed it, feeling the energy rush through him.

"I don't have time for you!" he shouted, raising his palms.

He slammed the ground with his hands and immediately two pillars of flame burst out from under the elites. They landed in a heap, burnt up. One of the X-nauts tried to ambush him from behind, but was knocked aside by Koops.

Mario got a running start and leaped to the top of the crate, which was now high above the ground. He noted the metal cable that was pulling it up, and grasped it with his hands. Fire started enveloping the line, as Fire Mario used his firebrand to melt the string.

The cable melted instantly, and the cage plummeted back to the ground. The civilians inside were screaming in terror, closing their eyes as they waited for the impact, but Mario jumped off and shot a beam of fire at the ground that softened the impact. The cage landed softly and the cage lock broke off, letting the people run free. Mario wiped the sweat off his face, he had barely stopped it.

"FREEZE!" shouted an X-naut commander. His bazooka was raised and aimed at the plumber's face while behind him dozens of X-naut fleets stood with their weapons drawn.

'_There's too many of them,' _he thought, grunting.

Beside him, a shadow in the ground expanded and from it raised Vivian. She faced the army of X-nauts as she got into battle position.

"Mario," she whispered, glancing at his face. "Goombella ran off towards the west end of Rogueport."

"What?!?" he exclaimed in surprise. "Why? She's all alone! The X-nauts will capture her!"

Flurrie and Brawler came up beside him after tossing around some other stray soldiers. The cloud spirit answered for the shadow.

"While we were battling, one of the commanders announced that they had managed to capture the professor, and were currently taking him and all of his research books to the airship."

Brawler grumbled about something regarding acting instinctively, as Koops and Bobbery landed beside the group as they stared headlong at the group of X-nauts preparing to take them down.

"Where's Ms. Mowz?" asked Koops to the rest of the group. Mario shrugged, not worried the slightest.

"You know how she is; she's probably off doing her own thing. She's fine." Mario looked straight at the X-naut commander who still had his bazooka raised. "For now, let's worry about these guys."

The two groups looked at each other, neither side giving in. The protectors, Mario and his friends - versus the invaders - the secret society of X-nauts. The air howled with the noise of destruction, as the airship above them covered all in darkness. A fallen leaf between them rustled with the wind, signifying the start of battle.

"CHARGE!" yelled the X-naut commander. The large force started rushing towards the six heroes.

Mario's palms ignited with hot flames. "GET READY, GUYS!" He shouted over their cries. He leaped forward, charging towards the incoming force. His companions followed him, ready to fight. The plumber shouted out his most famous quote right before the two sides connected.

"_LET'S-A GO!"_

_-_

"Hurgh? Where'd he go?" Cackletta asked, directing her question to Fawful.

"I…am not holding the knowledge as the event that is concurring is thoroughly confounding me…" he answered back with confusion. Peach also looked confused; she did not have the slightest idea of what was happening.

Suddenly Cackletta was slammed in the gut, and she went rolling along the floor kicking up dust. Fawful started to cry out, but then he was attacked as well and was sent flying across the room. Cackletta rose to her knees while wiping off the trickling blood from her mouth.

"That…that felt like a hammer attack…"

She glanced at her apprentice. The little bean was knocked out cold, the spirals in his eyes now X's.

"YOU!" she shouted in anger. "You've just messed up my plan! WHERE ARE YOU, RUNT?"

Her complaining was cut off as in front her appeared Luigi. The plumber smirked, and held up his arm that held the bracelet.

"Keep it up," the green one said, "You'll be surprised when this 'runt' beats you down."

Once again Luigi disappeared from her eyes, and the witch's sight darted back and forth around the room, trying to obtain a glimpse of her cloaked enemy.

'_This…feeling', _she thought while looking. _'It's spectral energy…but how can it be possible? He's not a ghost…' _

Once again her train of thought was interrupted as she was attacked again, feeling the same hammer attack but this time it shocked her as well. She was blasted towards the floor again but this time she did a break fall, rapidly making eerie hand signs. With a clasp of her hands, she disappeared into green smoke that soon covered the room.

Peach could see nothing in the heavy fog, as well as the invisible Luigi. The green gas cackled.

"What will you do, plumber?" she asked while laughing madly. "You can't attack me; I'll just wait until you reveal yourself when I suffocate you!"

Somewhere in the green haze a voice answered.

"Nuh-uh, I'm a ghost right now, so I can't die! And if you keep this up, you'll kill your toady!"

Cackletta winced, realizing the truth of his statement. If the little bean wasn't down, he could've used his headgear as a gas mask and she could use Peach as a hostage. Slowly, the green smoke condensed to reform her body. She smiled.

"A ghost, eh?"

Once again she moved her hands in intricate motions while chanting.

**Unveil the ones in hiding,**

**The undead will bow before me,**

**Flip this world into one of fear,**

**Steal their skill that hides them,**

_**Le Noir Reveler!**_

Suddenly all motion in the room stopped, and it felt that is if the world had just flipped upside down, revealing a secret place. The sky and room was black, everything had a white outline. Peach and Fawful we're frozen in their respective spots, coloured black with white outlines to match the background. Only Cackletta and Luigi were still moving.

Luigi jumped to find out that she could see him.

"What…_what did you do_?"

She cackled madly. "Eeyah ha ha ha! I used a spell that changes the surrounding area! Now you can't turn invisible!"

Luigi growled. "Then why are the others but us frozen?"

"Because this world allows only magical beings," she answered.

Quickly she began to rush at him, withdrawing her hand in preparation to stab him with her claws. Luigi parried her strike with his hammer, and then pushed her away leaping backwards to plan his next attack. He immediately tossed fire and lightning balls towards the witch, hoping to distract her. The blasts hit her directly, but once again she blew up into dozens of bats, which headed straight for him. He charged up his arms with electricity, preparing for their attack.

As soon as the first bat came, he slapped it away, and started blasting the rest with electricity. One after another each bat was defeated, but they kept coming. Luigi was soon overwhelmed and was bitten numerously, being poisoned as the animals pushed him to the ground. His eyes drooped as the venom coursed through him.

"_Eeyah ha ha ha!" _he heard faintly, and he turned his head and looked around him.

Around him, dozens upon dozens of Cackletta's stood around him, laughing with glee. One spoke.

"You've fallen into my illusion! Do you know which one is the real me, idiot?"

Luigi slowly rose, body shaking from the poison. His view was blurred.

"Eeyah ha ha ha ha! You can't even stand, let alone fight!"

The plumber pulled out a tasty tonic, guzzling the contents quickly to rid himself of his burden. He could feel the drowsiness leave, and his skin colour turned back to normal. He stared at the army of witches.

The Cacklettas seethed. One shouted.

"Stop it! Where are you getting those items?!?"

"You're only prolonging your defeat, twerp!" another shouted.

"Eeyah ha ha HURGH? Healed again?" asked a third.

"KILL HIM!" declared the fourth.

Immediately the hundreds of Cacklettas transformed into bats. Thousands of the creatures stared at the plumber, planning to feast on his flesh and inject him with more poison.

Luigi gulped loudly. There was no way he could take all of them. If he didn't find a way out of this, he was finished. He desperately thought of their conversations before, trying to find an opening in this problem. Quickly, a thought flashed in his mind.

"_Then why are the others but us frozen?"_

"_Because this world allows only magical beings," she answered._

"Magical beings…" he whispered as the bloodsuckers charged.

As they got closer, Luigi smiled with an idea. Quickly, he started adjusting the knobs on his ghost bracelet, trying to reverse the effects in time. The bats were close.

"Tinkering with that toy won't do you any good!" One shouted amongst the flapping. "_Your fate is sealed!_"

"Sorry, but I want to choose my own destiny!" Luigi shouted back. With a final twist in his bracelet, the item stopped the connection between them and Luigi was not ghostly anymore. Immediately, with the loss of his powers, he turned black to match the sky with a white outline to show his features.

The bat's that were pieces of Cackletta stopped and reformed into one being.

"Tch…" she muttered, "the worm got away…"

With a snap of her fingers, the room changed back to normal, the secret world once again disappearing amongst the colourful Mushroom Kingdom.

-

They were back again in the entrance of the Mushroom Castle, Fawful still knocked out albeit starting to stir, and the princess still speechless.

On the opposite ends of the room stood Luigi and Cackletta, both breathing deeply, they were exhausted.

"Huh…huh…huff, had…enough yet?" The green plumber asked cockily, while thinking the opposite.

E. Gadd's voice ringed in his mind.

_I've developed this badge to bond with only your body structure, so only you can use it. But beware! This is only a prototype and it is not to be used excessively! It drains your energy quickly and doesn't last long, so use it only when absolutely needed!_

'_Darn, this isn't good; I'm almost completely drained…'_

Cackletta snapped back.

"Are you kidding?!? That was nothing! But, I have to admit you did give me a warm up…"

She thought of her choice of attacks.

'_Not good…I've used up so much magical energy from those bat clones and unlocking the dark world…I'm almost spent!' _

They had a stare down, each fighter looking for any weaknesses in the other.

"This is it, Cackletta," the plumber declared. "I don't have the time and energy for this. _I'm taking you out, now._"

-

Mario wiped the sweat off his face after the last X-naut soldier fell to his feet. Around him, his partners finished dealing with the rest of the enemies. Around them, hundreds of X-nauts lay unconscious. Mostly regular soldiers, but there were also few elites and PhDs. The town around them was devastated, the remnants of laser blasts and bazooka explosions apparent. Mario pulled out a mushroom and tossed it in his mouth.

"Eat up, guys," he commanded with a mouthful. They nodded and took out their own shrooms.

From the alleys and corners of west-end Rogueport, trembling civilians slowly emerged. An adult toad spoke.

"Th-thank you, Mario! You have saved us once again!"

The plumber gave him a saddened look.

"No," he replied quickly. "I failed."

He pointed up towards the sky, where the airship loomed.

"While we fought those guys, the rest of the civilians in this area were taken there. I couldn't stop them."

He signalled his partners, and then headed towards Rogueport square.

"I can't believe I had to use two fire flowers and four mushrooms on those guys!"

He snarled lightly. "Come on, we'll see if anyone else in the other areas hasn't been captured."

Flurrie spoke up. "But deary, those ingrates must've already taken everybody in those areas, what will we do?"

The plumber answered calmly. "You guys are going to take down all of the X-nauts in the main square while I go to Frankly's house to look for him. Hopefully I'll find Goombella there as well."

His companions nodded as they ran towards the exit, bursting into the town square which was equally as destroyed. There were no sign of survivors, only many X-naut soldiers carrying around provisions stolen from the shops and houses. Various commanders were ordering and overseeing the placement of the goods in multiple iron crates.

Brawler sneezed.

Every X-naut looked at him.

"Aww, crap," The yoshi muttered as he pulled out a mini egg. Mario noticed the entrance to the east side across from them.

"Back me up, guys," he said as he started running towards the enemies. "I'M GOING IN!"

"Capture them!" one of the commanders shouted.

"Sorry, but I dislike being incarcerated!" replied the plumber as he stretched his arms out to the side, flames rapidly growing and enveloping his hands. Clasping his palms together, he focused the flames.

"Flame…dragon!"

Suddenly a burst of flames erupted from his clasped palms, forming into a long, flaming dragon which ploughed through the opposing force, obliterating them. The wind that resulted was so powerful, that Mario's partners had to hold their ground or they would be blown away.

The flames dissipated, leaving a trail of burn marks and flames all over the area. The execution stand was blown away. A huffing Mario was crouched over holding his knees gasping for breath, his fire flower wearing out and his clothes changing back into traditional red and blue.

The other soldiers who had evaded the attack gawked at their fallen comrades.

"D-dude…that's crazy…" one of them sputtered, fearful.

Mario ran down to the other end of the plaza, reaching the entrance to the east side.

"Take care of things here, guys!" he called out to his partners. "I'll find Goombella!"

He ran off. Flurrie looked at the enemies.

"You heard what he said," she ordered to the rest of her comrades. "Let's take them out!"

They charged.

-

"What the…"

Mario looked around. No one was there. The whole east side was empty. The X-nauts had already finished business.

The plumber ran to the nearest home, and ripped the door open.

It was Merlon's house. No one was there.

He moved over to the next house, professor Frankly's. He opened the door, hoping for the best yet knowing what to expect.

Inside was a mess. His desk was flipped over, and every book in the shelves was gone. There was no sign of either the professor or Goombella.

He walked inside.

"Hello? Professor? Goombella?" No answer.

He looked at the messy floor. He squinted.

_Was that a blood stain?_

He lowered himself and looked closer. It was indeed blood. Mario crunched his fist.

_When I get my hands on those X-nauts…_

He checked upstairs. Nothing.

Sighing with frustration, Mario left the house and looked around. Nothing but the almost natural garbage and a few black spots, presumably from laser blasts. He walked further down the path. Reaching a dead end there, Mario looked up. Where he expected Grifty, the minstrel was not there. Had they captured him too? Mario's eyes shifted; this wasn't good.

He was just about to head away from the area when he heard major banging sounds. It came from the locked door where the robbo gang hid, and it was getting louder and louder.

Mario slunk towards it slowly…

**BAM!**

The wall beside the door crumbled and five X-nauts went flying out of the room, unconscious. A large familiar figure emerged from the room, cornering the two remaining X-naut elites that backed away slowly.

Mario's eyes widened.

'_You've GOT to be kidding me!'_

"D-don't try anything!" shouted one of the elites. He pointed his gun shakily at the large, overweight man.

The other soldier echoed his partner. "Y-YEAH! We're-we're not going to get beaten by a _fat_ guy!"

"_**FAT?!?**_" yelled the man, while smacking away their weapons. "Shut up! For your information, I'm the perfect specimen of a man! _You've just got your eyes on wide screen!_" Grabbing the X-naut who had insulted him, the large man tossed him into the ocean, where he was quickly devoured by nibbles.

The first X-naut who saw the demise of his partner panicked and ran away, but was quickly subdued by Mario. The man turned to see him.

"!?! YOU!" He marched up to the plumber. "WHAT ARE _YOU_ DOING HERE?"

"I COULD SAY THE SAME TO YOU!" Mario shouted back. "WHAT IS YOUR BUISINESS HERE?!?"

"MARIO!" the figure spat.

"WARIO!" Mario shot.

"MUSHROOM HEAD!"

"GARLIC FUNGUS!"

"WANNABE HERO!"

"STUPID GOON!"

"MUSTACHE FREAK!"

"LOOK WHO'S TALKING, COUNT UGLYA!"

"WHY, I SHOULD BEAT YOU DOWN RIGHT NOW!"

Wario immediately pounced on Mario, the plumber fighting back. They rolled around the ground tussling while calling each other names.

"GET OFF OF ME, YOU OAF!" Mario shouted amongst the punching and kicking.

"WHY SHOULD I?!?" Wario shouted back.

A few X-nauts emerged from the room Wario was in. One held up a large bag.

"Sweet!" he said to his team mates. "We got the loot!"

Immediately the large man jumped off of Mario and attacked them.

"GIMME' BACK MY TREASURE!"

Mario sweat-dropped.

Wario immediately beat down the remaining X-nauts and took back his bag of treasure. Walking away, he tripped over one of the bricks from the rubble and the bag flew out, its contents spilling.

Mario opened his eyes. "That's-"

He grabbed one of the valuables. "This is Goombella's hard hat!"

Instinctively he grabbed his cousin by the collar.

"What did you do to her?" he demanded.

His nemesis frowned and smacked Mario's hand away.

"Back off, goody two-shoes!" He picked up the scattered loot and replaced it in his bag, ignoring the hard hat.

"While I was looking for stuff to steal, I happened to come upon that. Good quality, so I kept it," he said after retying the goods. "But these lunatics came and ruined it, spamming this place and taking everything _I_ was going to steal!"

Mario put the hat in his suitcase, snarling.

'_So they got her, too…was she with the professor?'_

It killed him to say this.

"It seems that we have a common enemy. That airship has my friends and the valuables you desire…(that aren't yours, by the way) Some strong guys are in there, so it'll be easier if we work to-to-to…together…" he trailed off and coughed, he never imagined that he would even utter these words to his enemy.

Wario nodded. "As much as I despise you, you have a point. Fine. BUT ALL THE TREASURE IN THERE IS MINE, GOT IT?" he threatened, making a statement.

Mario nodded. Wario gave off a greedy grin, unnecessarily showing off some large, dirty teeth.

"Well, then…" he whispered suspiciously. He stuck his large hand in his equally large pocket, searching for something. He smiled when he pulled out a weird, green covered, bad smelling piece of garlic. Mario had to cover his nose, the smell was rancid.

"Now that we have an understanding…" he stuffed the foul vegetable in his mouth, then began to feel the rumbling his belly. He started changing in a burst of energy, his familiar overalls changing into an ugly pink jumpsuit, and his nose turning red. A mask with a large W formed over his face, and a short cape appeared behind him.

He burst into the air, laughing haughtily while staring at his grounded cousin.

"Can you keep up with the great _Wario-Man_?" He immediately ran off, flying in the direction of the airship.

Mario smirked, and was seen rolling his eyes while taking a feather out of his pocket. Instantaneously, a long yellow cape emerged from his back shoulder area, and an aura of energy exploded from within him.

"Duh," he replied, and flew off after him.

-

Final thought from Wario:

_**Mushroom head!**_

-

**Looks Am… am I done? YES! I'M DONE! WHOOP DEE DO! CELEBRATION!**

**Okay, sorry for the super lateness, guys, but I took a break. I was tired. But, I have come back with a cool chapter! Most of the action went to Luigi, but I think that you guys don't really mind. Next chapter is the conclusion of the invasion, and Luigi's battle. Will he prevail? I don't know. **

**Finally, the rival was revealed. It was Wario all along! And here I was getting some thoughts that it was Rawk Hawk, Jr. Troopa, and the Pianta Syndicate versus the Robbos! ARHARHAR! **

**Now, to relax, get some R&R's, and read Selanp's **_**An Evil a Day! **_**(Man, you're updating way to fast for me…)**

**Yeah, you heard me pplz, R&R! I ain't updating anytime soon unless I get at least **_**3 reviews!**_

**Well, that's all I have to say! **

**Next Chapter: **_**Defeat, the Stain of Pride…**_

**EXTRA WILL BE ADDED SOON!**


	6. Defeat, the Stain of Pride, L Type

**EDIT: Fanfiction must be glitched. All of Omega's lines were cut! I wonder why... well don't worry, i fixed it.**

**OMFG, how long did this chapter take? Well anyway, enjoy! **

**This chapter is dedicated to Selanp for being a good writer overall, having a positive attitude, and cheering me on! You guys should check out her stories! **

_**Chapter 6**_

_**Defeat, the Stain of Pride - L Type**_

Blazing through the evening sky, Mario managed to catch up with his greedy cousin as they headed towards the looming airship above them.

The trip was in silence; Mario tried to start conversation.

"So…" he started, unsure of what to say. "What _were_ you doing in Rogueport?"

Wario's eyes snapped towards him, replying with a sarcastic voice: "Why do you care?"

"Oh, just starting something."

"Well…I heard about Rogueport, and that there is a treasure hidden, so I came. But so far there hasn't been anything, what a rip off! So I'm just taking my time stealing everything else!"

Mario sweat-dropped, muttering.

"That's because I already found the treasure…"

"What was that?" Wario asked sharply.

"Oh, nothing…" The plumber thought for a second. "I guess that means Waluigi got left behind, eh?"

Wario shrugged.

"It's not like I ever bring him along, anyway. Besides, I don't ever see _you_ bring along your sibling for an adventure!"

"That's not true!" Mario snapped. "He just doesn't want to come or I leave too quickly, and he's fine with that!"

"Suuure," the large man snickered. "At least I don't have to baby-sit _my_ bro!"

Before Mario could reply, Wario boosted towards the airship with an increase of speed. Mario sighed, and flew off after him.

They would never change.

-

The two were still locked in a captivating duel, neither side showing weakening. Their battle had now become a dance, a deadly one where a mistake would mean their downfall. Lightning bolts and punches were thrown about the room, each opponent fighting to a standstill. Strike, miss, dodge…it was the same pattern as the plumber and the witch brawled.

Luigi threw a quick left punch that grazed Cackletta, but she managed to dodge quickly enough. Aiming her palm at his face, she struck, but the green plumber blocked.

"Getting tired?" the witch asked playfully as their other hands connected, locking.

"Not even breaking a sweat!" answered the huffing Luigi, who broke their test of strength and leaped backwards. He charged his hands with electricity as Cackletta rushed forward.

"This ends!" she declared as she leapt towards him. Her hands were outstretched leaving a big opening in her guard.

Smirking, Luigi jumped to meet her as he thrust his hands on her robe, cradling her clothes and electrocuting her with blue shocks.

"Aieeeee!!!!" she cried amidst the pain.

"Shouldn't have left your guard open!" Luigi haughtily shouted until she burst into thick smoke.

"Wha?"

"THINK AGAIN!" he heard outside the gas, and the real Cackletta jumped forward and embedded her claws in his skin, stabbing him. Luigi had a second to grunt in pain before she threw him aside.

He slammed the floor hard, clutching his stomach painfully. Five miniature holes seeped blood at an alarming rate, and the brother started feeling light-headed.

"Eeyah ha ha ha!" the witch cackled with superiority. "Foolish plumber, how can you wish to stand up to me if you fall for such easy tricks?"

"Shut…up…" Luigi muttered, before doubling over in pain.

"I'm not…done…yet…" he stopped, eyes opening from a sensation.

There it was again.

That same feeling…the one that wanted him to win…but something was off. It wasn't him that this feeling was originating from…but something else inside him. Before he had paid it no mind, but now it was more forceful, wanting.

He almost ignored it again until he heard his urge turn into a…a voice.

"**C'mon, give me a turn! I'll finish him for you!"**

'_Wha, what was that?' _

The voice rang again with urgency.

"**What are you doing? Pay attention or you'll get stomped!"**

'_Who are you?!?' _Luigi demanded. He looked at Cackletta, who suddenly did not look like the witch anymore.

She looked like the splitting image of Luigi, though his eyes were much angrier.

'…_am I hallucinating?'_

Suddenly the world around him started turning white and black, contorting into the shape of yin-yang.

"**About time you got here, chump. Well, I guess its champ, because you **_**are**_** me."**

"_Who are you?" _Luigi repeated in his state of dismay.

"**Did she hit you on the head or something? I'm **_**you**_**, pal." **The second Luigi answered nonchalantly.

"_Me? But…I've never seen you before…"_

"**I'm your other side. Your other half, your dark force…if you may. I'm Mr. L, and you've kept me locked up for long enough."**

"_What do you want?" _Luigi asked, in disbelief.

"**It's my time to shine!" **Mr. L snapped quickly. **"For the longest time, you've kept control, cooking at home and being the regular wussy housewife! Then, you finally fight and you're getting stomped on! I can't believe it! Give me a chance, greedy! I'll do much better than you!"**

Luigi could feel himself swelling up with anger. He had enough. He didn't care if this Mr. L character was him, he was going to pound the same message he told to Cackletta in his head.

"_I don't believe it!" _he cried out. _"Does no one have faith in me? This is my fight, pal, I'll handle it!"_

"**No, you **_**won't. **_**You're getting owned."**

"_Oh, shut up. I don't care who you are, you aren't getting control of my body! Leave!"_

Mr. L smirked.

"**Not if Cackletta has anything to say about it," **he replied deviously.

"_Wha-?" _

As if on cue, his eyes started to get drowsy, and his body became unbalanced, swaying both ways before he crumpled to the ground. His eyes drifted to his counter-part, who rolled his eyes sighing.

"**The woman is right…how can you expect to back up your words when you let your guard open like that?"**

Luigi's eyes only batted slightly, fighting to stay conscious.

"**That's right…go to sleep, champ…let your mind fail…so I can get stronger…don't worry, okay? I'll finish her off for you…"**

The plumber's eyes snapped shut.

"**L-ater."**

-

Raising an eyebrow in thought, Cackletta stared at the fallen body of her opponent.

He was acting strangely, for after she stabbed him, he just lay on the floor clutching his head and muttering incoherent phrases. Being the opportunist that she is, she struck him down with a bolt of lightning.

She smiled smugly and turned towards her stirring apprentice. Fawful was still disoriented, yet he managed to get back up to his feet.

"Shake the cobwebs out yet, Fawful?" she asked tiredly. She was exasperated with all of the distractions to her mission, wanting to get out of the castle as soon as possible.

"I am thinking yes, mistress," he said after a while, pausing slightly then asking, "What has had happening in the events of this room while I had much unconsciousness?"

"Fought with the green plumber, beat him, woke you up," she answered quickly, getting to the point. "We're done here. We have power stars to get, so we can power the…you know."

She turned towards Peach, giving her a spine-chilling, striking smile.

"Come with us, my dear. We'll need you to point out any hidden rooms, and you'll make a good hostage for any upcoming situation." Noticing her stiff body, she continued. "If you don't move, your good friend greenie here will get a blast to the future…death."

Seeing her immediate glare of anger, the witch chuckled. The princess' attempt to defy her was foolish, and giving a death stare meant nothing if she couldn't back it up.

"Come, Fawful." The little bean happily complied and started walking out of the battle-torn room.

Peach took a saddened look at the body of Luigi, desperate for a miracle. Seeing Cackletta glance at her and then to Luigi, she started to catch up with them.

Cackletta laughed heartily, believing she had grasping victory.

"Sorry, kid," she said without turning her head. "You just can't win." She resumed her walking, motioning to her toady and hostage.

"**Just where do you think you're going, geezer?"**

She stopped. Slowly her head faced him, her face alight with fury. "_Geezer?_"

Luigi rose smoothly, cracking his neck and smiling.

"**Thanks for busting me out of there; it was getting a bit dusty." **He smiled, getting into a fighting position. His blue eyes gleamed as they transformed into a metallic grey before her eyes. **"Unfortunately, you're getting in my way. Stand still, grandma, and I'll make it quick."**

She stared at him quizzically, before brushing him off with a sigh.

"Just because you get a little braver and call names doesn't mean you're any stronger. You're still a weak plumber, green with envy towards his brot-" she was cut off as she immediately blocked an incoming punch.

"**Don't group me with that loser…" **"Luigi" spat back, before giving a looming smirk. **"The name's Mr. L. I know. Cool name. Don't bother learning it, because I'm about to send you to your grave."**

Suddenly, as if on cue, the room burst with dark vibes, signaling the darkness approaching…Peach felt it, Cackletta felt it, even the tech savvy Fawful felt it. Something eerie was amiss…

-

"That's it! I'm gonna put a hole in this thing!" Wario shouted angrily, referring to the intimidating airship in front of them. Mario tried to calm him, to no avail.

"Stop it! Do you want to let them know we're here? Have patience! Let's keep looking around…" he trailed off as he flew under the belly of the ship, hoping for some secret or emergency exit. There was none, but Mario refused to let his cousin have his way. He bit his lip in frustration.

"Stupid junk heap…where's your back door?!?"

Wario crossed his arms, looking bitterly at the annoyed plumber. "Why should I listen to you? The more we waste precious time looking for an imaginary entrance, the less I'll get to steal!"

Mario looked at him with annoyance, as if he had just said something stupid. "Just look one more time!" He snapped quickly, surprising the greedy man. Wario stood silent before reluctantly nodding, grumbling slowly as he checked the flank of the ship.

A few more minutes passed, as the two continually came up with nothing. Mario sighed.

"Why won't that deployment hatch open?" he asked to himself. After taking in the hostages and provisions, the hatch had ceased to open. It was also heavily armored, rendering a break in from that angle impossible.

Wario flew up to him. "I got nothing," he said quickly, before darting his eyes towards an area on the side of the ship.

Immediately he flew towards the wall at an alarming speed. Mario noticed a second too late, and he desperately tried to call him back.

"Wario, stop!"

"Forget it!" Wario shouted as he headed towards the airship at a puncturing speed. "We did things your way, now it's my turn!" He grew exceedingly close towards the metal boundaries. Mario flinched.

-

"Yes X-nauts! More pushups! Get lower! Butts down! 'Atta boy Robbie, keep straining!"

A large X-naut stood in front of many smaller ones, boasting orders while the rest broke a sweat. Each of the smaller X-nauts had modified uniforms, with a large sticker saying "TRAINEE" on their backs.

One X-naut in the second row dropped in exhaustion. The large teacher frowned.

"Up on your feet Charles! Slacking off won't get you into the ranks!" Charles grudgingly pushed himself off the ground, satisfying the commander.

In the third row, one X-naut snickered before tripping a fellow soldier with the back of his foot. The victim fell down with a nasty '_plop_' sound.

"JERRY!" barked the commander, startling the others. "Only manliness is allowed! Get back to your pushups!"

"But coach!" Jerry whined, pointing at the cause of his fall. "Brock did it! He tripped me!" Brock snarled at the snitch, making a threatening gesture to the trainee. But before he could act on it, the coach went in and pulled him out.

"You, monsieur trouble-maker! Get in the back! NOW!" Seeing the hate coming from Brock's eyes, the commander added, "You're going to get yourself killed one day!"

The trouble-making soldier only smirked with disobedience before rushing to the back of the training area.

"Like heck," he muttered to himself. "No way will I get beaten-"

Automatically, the wall behind him gave away and crushed him beneath it. Gasps were heard around the room.

From the debris emerged a fat, costumed man. He grinned devilishly as the rest of the soldiers looked back in horror.

"W-Who are you?!? What do you want?" one of the soldiers bravely asked. Wario turned to him and sneered.

"If I tell you, _I'll have to kill you!_"

Immediately the asking soldier quivered in fear. Mario landed in time to hear his cousin's last statement, and rolled his eyes.

"Are you happy now?" he asked, heavily laying on the sarcasm. "Now they know we're here."

The commander looked at the two weirdly. One stout, red man with a yellow cape sighing, and a fat exaggerated dude in a wannabe superhero outfit, digging his index finger in his ear. A random duo. He spoke up, full of confidence and security.

"Who are you to infiltrate Lord Crump's property, and interrupt my class?" He charged at them. "I will dispose of you!"

But as soon as he ran up, Wario inserted a large fist in the man's face, knocking him out even before he had done anything. He laughed, prompting another sigh from his cousin.

The entire trainee of X-nauts glanced at the two, terror evident in their eyes.

"What are we going to do about those guys?" Mario asked.

Wario felt a rumbling in his stomach, and said slowly, "You better get out of here…I'll take care of them…"

Mario did not move and looked at him quizzically. Wario snapped. "MOVE! NOW!"

"Huh?"

That's when he saw Wario's belly expand and the large man turn around, pointing his butt to the unknowing trainees. Mario's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates.

"Oh shi-" automatically he began to run to the nearest exit, but it was too late. The gastronomical energy pent up inside Wario's stomach was released, his rear releasing an enormous (not to mention loud) blast of stinky air.

A mushroom cloud of gas formed in the room, blurring everything. A moment passed.

As the gas cleared, all that was shown were bodies of X-naut trainees everywhere, and Mario, all knocked out from the stink. Wario was the only one left standing.

"Wahahahahahaha!" he gloated before pulling out a piece of garlic and chomping on it. "I'm the winner!"

He walked up to his fallen cousin and shook him awake. Mario shakily rose to his feet, and said only one thing.

"I take it back. If you didn't make such a big hole in the wall to suck out the gas, I think I might have died here."

Wario ignored the half compliment/half insult and motioned towards the door.

"Come on," he said quickly. "We have some treasure to get." He left the room, a still nauseous Mario following him.

They entered a large hallway, littered with many doors on either side. The room was bare.

"I wonder what floor we're on…"

Wario looked around. "Who knows? I see an elevator, let's go there." The two ran down to the machine, and Mario clicked the button. The screen above the elevator button beeped, producing a message:

Insert card-key

Mario grunted in annoyance, looking at his cousin. "They can't make it easy for us, can they?" he asked. Wario looked up at the high ceiling above them.

"If they won't let us use the elevator, I'll make us a path!" He started to fly upwards, but Mario stopped him in time.

"Wait, Wario! Let's look around first. We should also take off our power-ups, it's draining our energy too quickly." Mario's cape disappeared, and Wario turned back into his normal yellow and purple combination.

The hero of the Mushroom Kingdom snuck around the hall, peeking into the windows of each door. His face seemed glum, and deep in thought.

"It seems this whole room is a training room for X-nauts…what are we going to do?"

Wario stroked his chin thoughtfully. "The card-key must be in one of these rooms…should we burst in and make a mess?"

"No, we want to be silent for now…keep looking, maybe we'll come up with something."

The two split up and looked. Mario saw a changing room and peered in. What he saw gave him a smile.

"Wario! Take a look!" His cousin ran over and saw what excited him. In the change room was two spare uniforms, perfect for them to fit in. The plumber took the disguises, throwing one to his temporary ally.

"Let's get in these; they'll never know who we are!"

-

'_Who is this guy?' _Cackletta asked herself as she dodged another punch.

Luigi – Or Mr. L as he now called himself – was fighting completely different from before. He no longer used his hammer or even thunderhand – choosing to rely on his super jump and fists. And even though he used no weapons and very little techniques, it was like he had just eaten an ultra shroom! He fought like the last hour was nothing, and Cackletta wasn't prepared for a new Luigi.

Mr. L smirked as he grabbed the collar of her robe, punching her hard in the face. He quickly let go to enjoy her grasp the pain, before thrusting a kick in her side to send her to the floor.

"**HA! I've never had such an easy fight! You were losing to **_**her**_**, Luigi? You suck! I'll show you how to battle!" **

Fawful immediately pulled out his Fink-Rat-Zapper and fired, but Mr. L saw it in time and did a glorious back flip to dodge the attack. He struck a look at Fawful before rushing up to him.

"Fink-Rat, you must be an idiot of foolishness to have the looking of the down to my mistress!" The bean shouted with anger before blasting ferociously with his headgear.

Luigi evaded the energy blasts quickly and efficiently with his spring jumps and fast feet, leaping to the origin of the attacks, Fawful, and sending him flying with his fist. Fawful gasped with pain and dropped the Fink-Rat-Zapper before tumbling to the corner.

"**Oh, what's this?" **Mr. L leaned down to pick up the dropped weapon. He examined it, smiling all the while.

"**A squirt gun…for a squirt! I guess even little beans like you need water to grow, huh?" **He aimed the Zapper straight at the engrish-speaking bean and fired happily, blowing him aside.

"**That should keep you down for a while. Don't worry, I'll make good use of your toy."**

He fired again, this time at the downed Cackletta. It hit her directly, and Mr. L watched unsurprisingly as she blew into a flurry of bats. This time the bats didn't even bother to attack the plumber, immediately reforming into Cackletta. The witch panted slowly, her energy draining.

'_Not good…I don't think I have anymore energy for clones…'_

Mr. L cockily aimed the gun at her, firing rapidly with little aim, stopping to charge and watch Cackletta try to catch her breath.

"**You must not be very powerful, scrambling for cover like that! You make me look bad, with your green colour and everything!" **He blasted again, destroying the wall Cackletta was previously near.

Peach desperately tried to get her friend to his senses. "Luigi, what are you doing? Using weapons? This isn't like you!"

"**Relax, Miss Pink-and-Frilly! I'm saving your life! And of course this isn't like that chump; if he were here you'd be on a one-way trip to Bowser's castle!"**

"Please, stop it!"

"**O RLY? Let me see…uh, NO!" **He continued to fire at the witch, enjoying every moment of it. He pretended to check his watch, to further humiliate the bean witch.

"**Hmm? What's this?"** He stopped firing to finally notice the bracelet on his arm.

"**My weak side has a weapon?" **He observed the bracelet's silent beeping, tinkering with the device with his fingers. A grin began to form.

"**Whoa! It looks like a special ability-enhancing item!" **He cranked it, turning invisible instantly. **"It turns me invisible? This will go great on Brobot!"**

He turned off the weapon and looked at Cackletta. **"Ahaha. Now you have absolutely no chance! Have at you!" **He leapt at the witch.

"That's what you think you pig-headed wannabe!" She countered before tossing a few gravity holes towards his location.

"**You can't hit me if you can't see me!" **retorted the plumber before activating the ghost bracelet. He disappeared amongst the naked eye and the gravity holes missed their target, forcing Cackletta to fly up into the air in retreat. She scanned the silent area for a clue of her opponent's whereabouts.

"Where are you..."

"**Looking for me?" **

Cackletta's eyes opened wide in a moment of fear as her body swiveled behind her, but it was too late. Mr. L gave her a final smirk before he pressed the trigger of the Fink-Rat-Zapper and blasted her straight across the room. The beam of energy slammed her into the cracked wall so hard she was stuck in it. She coughed hard as pieces of her robe burnt off and fluttered to the ground. Before she could even breathe, Mr. L was upon her. He charged into her gut with a vicious head butt before giving her a hard punch in the chest. He finished with a roundhouse kick to the hip before landing on the ground in a smooth fashion, sending her a menacing grin of superiority.

Cackletta fell to the ground in a tattered heap. Mr. L cockily walked up to her, spinning the Fink-Rat-Zapper as he neared her. He pointed it to her head, at point-blank range.

"**I guess that's it, huh? Game over. See ya' in the underwhere."**

"No…" Cackletta whispered, her scream of disobedience coming out as a desperate, strangled cry. "I won't go back there again…not by your hand…I still have things I need to do!"

"**Tough luck, not everyone gets what they want."**

_He began to squeeze the trigger, and it seemed as if everything had begun to transverse in slow-motion. Peach's screams for him to stop were lost amongst the eerie silence in the room, as the now conscious but weary Fawful begged for the man to cease. Cackletta's eyes widened as she tried to escape, move, anything, but failed as her whole body was paralyzed. It seemed to be all in slow motion as Mr. L grinned as his finger closed in on the trigger…it wasn't eerie, actually; no…it was the familiar slow-motion of the moment before death…_

"**AHHHHHH!" **Mr. L immediately dropped the gun and clutched his head with pain. **" "No! It's preposterous! He's waking up!"  
**

Cackletta, Fawful and Peach all looked at Mr. L with confusion as he backed away from the witch, violently moving his head and arms, almost as if he was trying to get away from himself.

"**Leave me alone! I just got here! Don't trap me back in there! AUGH!" **He started to glow with blue energy as Mr. L's thrashings became worse.

"**Will you always be a thorn in my side? I'll win for you! Just leave me alone!" **The glow brightened, and Mr. L started screaming.

He took one last look at Cackletta.

"**It…seems that…Lady Luck is on…your side today…but Mr. L never forgets! I'll…be…back…"**

Silently, slowly, Mr. L's thrashings stopped. His eyes turned back into the cerulean colour everyone was used too. Luigi looked at his hands, unbelieving of what had just transpired.

"What…happened? Did…did that really just...that man…that man Mr. L…who is he?"

Cackletta's eyes moved towards the dropped gun.

'_There's my chance!' _

She grasped the weapon and fired it at Luigi, blasting him at point blank range. The beam tore into him, sending the unsuspecting plumber flying. Luigi hit the floor, his hat falling off. The beam burnt a hole right through his overalls, smoke still emitting from the wound. Luigi coughed blood.

"Fawful!" Cackletta snapped, getting the bean's attention. "Send me a power star! NOW!"

The mouth of Fawful's headgear revved up as it spat out one of the powerful items to the witch. As soon as Cackletta grabbed it, she grinned as she was surrounded by the powerful glow of star energy. She rose from the ground effortlessly, her wounds not affecting her at all.

"Do you know the difference?" she asked to Luigi, as he struggled to stand.

"W-What?"

"The difference between a Starman and power star. Do you know it?"

"…"

"While a Starman strengthens the body and gives the user a boost in physical strength, power stars empowers magic. Only few can fully use its powers!" she declared as she started making hand seals.

_**Create the ball of destruction,**_

_**Let death join my arsenal!**_

_**Use the enemies' power against them…**_

_**Black Hole Bomb!**_

Using the power star's strength, a black orb of energy formed in her right palm. It glistened with white points, like a constellation in a snow globe. She grinned manically as she held up the energy bomb to Luigi.

"Only a power star could produce results like these, fool! Eeyah ha ha ha! Die!"

She tossed the ball straight at the barely standing Luigi.

'_Got to dodge…got to dodge!' _the green plumber thought as the muscles in his leg tightened. He prepared to leap away, but felt a restraint holding him back.

"_**If you won't let me out, then I'll drag you down with me!"**_

'_No! Him again!'_

Luigi clutched his head as he tried to get out of the way. But he couldn't move - Mr. L's grip on his body was too tight. He had no choice but to watch as the ball of energy get closer, and closer, and closer…

The Black Hole Bomb entered his body, and for a second Luigi felt his whole body freeze.

Then unimaginable pain.

Luigi's eyes rolled into the back of his head as black smoke started to protrude from his mouth. His body lost all strength and he stumbled for a second, before being blown to the wall fast and hard, as if an invisible wall smacked into him.

Luigi dropped to the ground, unconscious.

Cackletta sneered as she walked away from him. Fawful stood, but his body was shaking with amazement.

'_Fururururu…the bomb hole of much blackness…it has amazement…combining with the fink-rat who is the victim, and blasting it with its own strength…only the mistress who is the Great Cackletta can be pulling such an attack that is this…'_

The evil bean walked up to her apprentice, singed, burnt, bruised, and with pieces of her robe missing, but smirking with her victory.

"I used a lot of energy in this battle, Fawful," she said, before continuing. "I need another power star to sustain my energy."

The headgear coughed up another star for the witch as they left the room. Peach immediately ran to the fallen plumber's side.

"Luigi? LUIGI! Wake up, please!"

Luigi's eyes squinted for a second to see the blurry image of the princess tending to him.

'_I failed…myself, Peach, Mario, everyone…'_

Merlon's words echoed in his mind.

"…**but, If you are to fail us… not only will you not gain recognition… but you may possibly put all of the Mushroom World in danger."**

Luigi's sight narrowed, his eyes closing.

'…_I'm useless…'_

Luigi entered the blissful world of sleep.

Sleep, that would soon turn into danger. Danger to the entire Mushroom World.

-

"Oh Great Cackletta," Fawful asked his master, confusion littering his voice as he walked through the soon-to-be dull hallways of the castle. "Why are we not having the capture of the princess?"

Cackletta breathed heavily, taking a breath of fresh air. "Don't worry about her, she'll just fawn over the green boy I just took care of."

She swiped her hand and another lightning bolt struck the wall, revealing another power star. "Don't forget our mission. We have work to do. We need to bring these power stars to _Star Haven_."

Fawful nodded, grinning as his headgear proceeded to swallow the bright object.

-

"I swear, this is the _last _time I ever go along with your plan!" hissed Wario from across his school desk. He uncomfortably tried to adjust the tight uniform he was currently bound in, to no avail.

"Just shut up and wait!" Mario whispered back. His uniform wasn't as tight, but man, it was hot in there!

It had seemed like such a smart plan, and indeed it was a good way to keep their cover, but it just wasn't working.

In their fool-proof disguises, they would go in each classroom and scout for which teacher had the key, giving the excuse that they were new in the program. If the classroom had it, they would find a means to steal it, and if they didn't, they'd get out by asking to use the bathroom.

But they'd already checked at least four rooms by now, with no luck. Not only that, but the teacher of the current room was not only strict and mean, but she wouldn't let them go, therefore effectively thwarting their attempts to get out.

Mario raised his hand. "Commander Hawkins, can I _please _go to the bathroom? I really need to go."

"No!" the elite X-naut spat out, glaring at the disguised plumber. "A real man can hold it in! Get back to your worksheet, I bet you don't know what do when you're attacked and the rest of your squad is elsewhere!"

"No, but I know how to thrash an X-naut with or without his squad members…" the plumber muttered as his eyes shifted to his cousin. The X-naut teacher snapped.

"What did you say?"

"Oh, nothing!"

Wario's eyes flashed for a second. He was getting tired of all the sneaking around. And he was tired of listening to Mario. He stood up. The teacher looked at him.

"Is there something you need, soldier?"

"Oh, there's something I need alright…" Wario ripped off his outfit. Gasps were heard around the room as the pudgy X-naut was actually a fat yellow plumber.

"I needed to get out of that _stupid_ suit!"

The cries of the teacher and students were unanimous and in chorus.

"_INTRUDER!!!_"

Mario slapped his palm over his forehead before ripping off his disguise and joining Wario.

"You just have to follow your own way, don't you?"

"Duh."

The students rushed the two plumbers. The Elite X-naut slammed on an emergency button on the wall, and the whole airship exploded with red warning lights and intruder signals.

Immediately the two burst into action. Mario leapt over the first cluster of soldiers, landing on one and knocking him out before falling to the ground. As soon as his feet touched the surface, he dodged to his right to avoid a body slam from one of the trainees, then quickly blocking a punch from another soldier. Mario smiled.

"You guys would be so much tougher if you had your guns with you," he taunted before grabbing the X-naut's arm and flipping him to the ground. The other soldiers seethed with anger before rushing him together.

Wario immediately landed in between the plumber and foot soldiers, smacking a couple away with his big, burly hand. He charged the rest of the group, blasting them aside with a shoulder charge.

All of the trainee soldiers were down, leaving only Commander Hawkins. He raised his gun towards their faces, his arm quivering with fear. Wario chuckled.

"So you act tough and treat people like crap, but when the going gets tough you can't even back up your exterior?"

He pulled out a mechanical wand and turned it on, transforming him into Dragon Wario. Startled, the elite fired sloppily and missed, before dropping it and bolting for the door.

"_Oh no you don't_!" The large man shouted gleefully before breathing a large trail of fire, catching and burning the teacher to a crisp.

Mario leapt over and kicked the door open. He looked into the hall, before giving an exasperated sigh.

Wario removed the dragon suit and walked over, wondering why his cousin looked so annoyed. He peeked out the door.

Surrounding the door to the classroom that the two were in was dozens of X-naut trainees, PhDs, foot soldiers, and elites. Almost all of them held a gun.

"I guess we just started a party, eh?"

Mario nodded, smirking.

"Too bad we're gonna crash it!"

The two jumped towards their enemies.

-

Beta, Alpha and Omega stared as Crump recompressed his new battle suit.

"So, how is it?" the commander asked his fellow soldiers.

Beta smiled sincerely, giving applause to his superior.

"**It's great! Magnus Von Grapple 3.0 is ready to crush, baby!"**

Alpha agreed silently. "Yes, it certainly is one powerful robot…especially its attacks. Get hit by those, and POW, its over."

Omega just stood his position, silent except for a slow nod, showing his acceptance.

Crump gave a crooked smile. "Excellent! Now nothing can stop m-"

**WARNING, WARNING. INTRUDERS DETECTED. INTRUDERS DETECTED.**

"Buh huh huh huh-WHAT?" He looked at the X-naut scientist beside him.

"Get me a visual!"

"Yes sir!" The soldier started clicking and punching in buttons in the computer area around him and soon enough, a hologram of the two plumbers fighting was shown.

Crump's eyes widened into the size of dinner plates. He glared at the X-Squad.

"YOU DIDN'T FINISH OFF MARIO?!?"

Omega and Alpha looked at Beta. He shrugged.

"**Don't look at me; I drowned the guy's boat! He's just really persistent!" **

Alpha ignored him, observing the two fighters.

"It seems that they are on the fourth floor, the training area." 

Beta started to walk towards the door.

**_"Where are you going, Beta?"_**

"**To squash the bugs that got out from under my foot."**

Omega immediately appeared in front of his comrade with a burst of speed.

**_"You will do nothing. You've already failed when you've had the chance. Me and Alpha will take care of this. You, get Gamma on the third floor. Make sure nothing happens to aggravate his injuries." _**

"**BUT!-"**

**_"Now." _**

"…**Yes, sir."**

Beta left the room, huffing as the electronic doors closed behind him.

Alpha looked at Crump's angry face.

"Don't get a heart attack boss, we'll handle it."

He dropped a smoke bomb, which exploded into thick fog that covered the room. When it cleared, the two were gone.

The X-naut soldier beside Crump coughed from the smoke, sighing.

"I really wish they would stop doing that."

Crump agreed.

-

Only after Wario had dropped another soldier did he notice it.

"Look, Mario!" he shouted with slight excitement. "That guy has the card-key!"

Mario finished his combo on one of the soldiers with a knee and looked. Indeed, at the far end of the room was an elite X-naut holding the card-key by his waist. Mario smiled.

"Get him!"

Immediately he bounded forward, jumping over an X-naut who tried to spear him down, and rolling under a body-slamming one. One soldier on the side fired his blaster, just barely missing Mario vaporizing the floor in front of him.

"Oh for the love of mushrooms... watch your step Wario! These guys will blast us if we fight our way there!"

"Lemme' handle these guys!" Wario jumped high in the air and landed hard on his butt, sending ripples along the floor that shook the X-nauts off balance. It was the opening Mario needed.

"Move out of my way, people!" He punched one of the soldiers to the ground before ducking and avoiding a beaker of unspecified chemicals. He spun over and tripped the offending PhD before running straight towards the elite X-naut.

The card-key-holder leveled his gun and charged. Mario outstretched his right arm as it begun to be envelop in flames.

The elite fired.

"DIE!"

Mario thrust his fist forward.

"FLAME KNUCKLEDUSTER!"

Fist hit blast and the room was enveloped in an explosion of energy. The room filled will dust and unconscious bodies and no one could see a thing. A gloved hand grabbed Wario by the shoulder.

"C'mon, I got the key!" he hissed as they ran towards the elevator. A hazy image of the elite's body became clearer as Wario focused his eyes through the smoke.

Wario grabbed the key and slammed it into the machine, breaking in a large-toothed smile when the doors opened and let them in. Inside, the elevator lit up the number 4, before changing to 5.

"So we were on the fourth floor, huh?" Mario asked, before checking the choice of floor levels. "It seems that there are seven levels. Three levels are taken out, the level we were just on, the command room, the sixth floor, and the deployment room, which is the last level. So I guess we have to check room two, three, five and six."

The elevator doors opened into the fourth floor. Wario stepped out, but when Mario tried to follow him he shoved him back in.

He sneered. "My intuition tells me that treasure is in here! And if it is, then my job is done!"

The doors started closing. Mario tried again to jump out, but Wario had the space advantage and once again threw him back in. He then leaned in and snatched the card-key from the dazed plumber.

"What are you doing Wario!?!" he shouted as he was slammed into the elevator wall.

"What do you think Mr. I'm-going-to-play-hero! We don't have much time, they know we're here! They might even dump the treasure soon to get me off their backs! _You _go down to the second floor and look for your stupid buddies, while _I _search for something meaningful – treasure! And once I find my goods, I'm dippin'! This is so you don't stop me while I make my escape!"

The doors almost fully closed, Mario tried to roll out one last time, but Wario kicked him back in. The doors met each other, sealing Mario from the fourth floor.

The greedy treasure seeker smiled and waved innocently, as the elevator started to move down.

Inside, Mario punched the wall angrily, cursing.

"I _knew _I should've been more careful! I can't trust that disloyal man!"

The elevator landed at floor two. Gingerly stepping out, Mario looked around. The floor was a large, circular room with some big doors along it. He went to one of the doors and opened it.

Mario swore at the sight.

_Smooth move, Wario._

In front of him was a decent sized room, filled with the various valuables belonging to the residents of Rogueport. He checked another room. This one was filled with provisions. The next room was examined. More treasure. Mario couldn't believe it.

Wario just screwed the both of them.

"Wonderful, just wonderful…"

"What's wrong? Not what you're looking for?"

Mario's ears twitched at the sound of an intruder and he turned to meet the attacker. After a moment, his fighting stance softened.

'_It's just an elite X-naut...'_ he thought as he looked at the soldier. He disregarded him.

"I'd advise you to go away if you don't want to get hurt," he said before turning, looking in the rooms again.

"Hurt? Hahahaha, I don't that's going to happen, newbie!"

Mario just ignored his ranting and continued to check the rooms until he felt a pulse. Immediately he back flipped away as an explosive shell entered the room, blowing it apart.

The mustachioed man glanced at the elite X-naut, alarmed. The soldier chuckled.

"Don't confuse me for a normal soldier, newbie," he said, before putting away his bazooka. "I'm Alpha, the quickest, strongest, most skilled marksman in the Secret Society of X-nauts! Let me show you a thing or two!"

He whipped out his handgun and started blasting rapidly at the plumber. Mario dodged quickly, barely avoiding the well-aimed barrage. He pulled out his hammer and rushed at Alpha, the X-naut doing the same. They met, freezing a moment before attacking.

Mario's hammer stopped beside alpha's head, ready to clobber him at a moment's notice, and Alpha's gun was an inch from Mario's face, ready to pull the trigger at a drop of a pin.

A bead of sweat ran down Mario before he jumped away from the soldier to get some room.

"You are indeed skilled...just who are you exactly?" he asked, wary.

Alpha narrowed his eyes, pinpointing the exact location of Mario's heart.

"I told you, I'm Alpha…second-in-command of the X-Squad."

-

"No, no, NO!" Wario shouted to himself angrily. "There's no treasure _anywhere! _There are only these stupid civilians!"

He checked another door, but that one was locked as well. He looked through the window, and only saw the unpleasurable sight of more shackled citizens in the room. Their cries for help once they saw him softly emanated from the walls.

"No! I'm not here for you people! I'm here for _treasure_!" he shouted back, hushing them.

"Yeesh! Hopefully the sixth floor will have it…" he started towards the elevator, only to be stopped by a weird-looking X-naut.

He wore a purple uniform with an orange X emblazoned on it. The soldier spoke.

"**_Unfortunately for you, the treasure isn't in the fifth floor. It's in the second."_**

"Oh, thanks. Less time for me to waste, I guess." He started towards the elevator again, but the X-naut jumped in front of him, blocking his path.

**_"Who said I would let you go there, though?" _**

"Back off weirdo, before I MAKE you."

**_"Want to test that theory?" _**

Wario threw his fist forward, but Omega caught it and tripped him, kicking him to the wall as he fell.

**_"It is a shame. I wanted to fight the red-overalled man, but it seems that I am stuck with you. However, do not think I will go easy during battle because of that." _**

Wario angrily pushed himself off the ground.

"Stuck with me? It _is _a shame, 'cause I'm going to beat you down so badly, your friends won't be able to identify your carcass!" He pulled out his mechanical wand, transforming into Sparky Wario.

"Prepare to get zapped!"

The X-naut went into a fighting stance as he raised an eyebrow. _**"It seems that I underestimated you. Hopefully, this won't take long."**_

Wario tossed a lightning bolt, which the soldier dodged. He skillfully charged at the electrified man, raising his fists.

**_"Hear me!" _**he shouted while running towards Wario. _**"My name is Omega, leader of the X-Squad and the best martial artist in the Secret Society!"**_

Wario similarly charged at Omega, bringing his shoulder up. "Omega?" he shouted as he rushed. "What kind of cult name is _THAT_?"

They clashed.

-

…**I'm done…**

**Sorry for the amount of time it took for the newest chapter, guys. First, I had exams, and after that my comp broke! But enough excuses, it's finished for now. **

**So how is it? Good? Bad? (Gosh I hope it ain't) **

**Anyway, after the next two chapters the first arc, **_**Beginnings, **_**will be finished! Yay for me! Then the REAL adventure starts!**

**Don't worry ppl! At the end of this arc, almost everything will be explained!**

Next Chapter: **Defeat, the Stain of Pride - X type**


	7. Defeat, the Stain of Pride, X Type

**Ahh…I have nothing to say here, so my words will be found at the end of this chapter…**

**-**

_**Chapter 7**_

_**Defeat, the Stain of Pride – X Type**_

_Lord Crump's airship, fifth floor:_

Goombella sat down gloomily, her eyes dampening slightly, but she refused to let tears flow. Professor Frankly gazed at her with sympathy as he stood beside her.

"I'm such an _idiot!_" she shouted, attracting the attention of the nearby prisoners. Frankly tried to hush her, but she continued angrily, ignoring him.

"We were working together to stop these guys! But I worried about your safety and just threw myself in their arms! I wasn't thinking! And now we're stuck in this dirty, unwelcoming ship, with no way to get help! How's Mario supposed to save us now?" She bit her lip angrily, a drop of water threatening to fall from her eye.

"Stop beating yourself up, Goombella!" Frankly said with a slightly harsh tone, quelling what he thought could have been a sniffle. He sat beside her, listening to the silence. What would happen to them…how much time they had left…he could only ponder what could occur. He could only pray that Mario would come…soon...

One of the robbos in front of him started jumping up and down.

"Look! Someone's out there!" he shouted while pointing towards the small window that gave them limited sight out of their prison. Quickly, the other prisoners got to their feet and shoved each other to take a look. Goombella's face brightened.

'_Could it be…Mario?'_

Immediately she sprang to her feet and pushed her way through the crowd before jumping up and looking through the window. Her eyes opened wide.

"Goombella? What is it?" asked Frankly from behind the group. He tried to slither in between masses, but their constant shoves prevented him.

Goombella answered over the grunts of her inmates.

"It's…it's…not Mario…"

"Well, who is it then?"

"He looks like Mario, but he's fatter…I've never seen him before, but I swear I remember I read something about him in a book…what was his name again?"

She dropped down and reunited with her teacher.

"Weird suspicious character who looks like he doesn't know the meaning of hygiene. He's fighting an X-naut."

"Maybe he's the reason why we heard those tremors before, the ones coming from the floor below us." Frankly thought, scratching his chin with thought. How he did so was still left in the dark, one of the mysteries of the world.

Goombella's eyes lit up slightly. "Do you think he'll save us?"

Frankly shrugged. "Who knows?"

-

"_**I will not let you touch the prisoners,"**_ Omega declared as he rushed towards Wario. The garlic-lover jumped towards the side and tried to clothesline his foe, but the X-Squad member ducked out of the way; Wario immediately turned around and gave a thrust punch that Omega countered with his own. The room's contents that were not nailed down blew away violently, as the area exploded with the pure strength of the two combatants.

"Ha! I want nothing to do with them!" Wario snapped back, before trying to spear Omega to the floor. The X-naut quickly dropped on his back and used Wario's momentum against him, tossing him to the floor with his feet. As soon as he had hit the ground, both got back up in a hurry and charged each other again.

"_**You have invaded our property; you and your friend's rebellion will be silenced."**_

"The only thing that will be silenced is your babbling mouth!"

Wario transformed into his dragon form with a flick of his wand, instantly blasting a trail of flames towards his opponent. Omega's reflexes kicked in as he side-flipped over the attack, pushing off the wall and charged in from the air; a flying kick aimed for his face.

"You think _that_ will stop me?" Wario grabbed his leg in midair with his monstrous strength, and swung him around viciously, dizzying him, before tossing him towards the wall with brute force.

Though winded, Omega managed to grab his bearings and he managed to avoid smacking the metal. He bounced off the wall sloppily, landing on the floor and holding his ground.

"No time for a breather!"

The soldiers face snapped towards the sneering man. His face conformed into one of surprise for a second before he leapt up in the air to avoid the earthquake that Wario sent his way.

'_**Intresting,'**_ he thought as he formulated a new attack plan. _**'It seems that in this form, he can not only breathe fire, but his strength and weight is increased…'**_

Wario smirked in victory as he taunted his enemy.

"How are you going to 'silence' me if you can't even fight me?" He gestured with his hands. "Bring it!"

"_**Very well."**_

Omega dropped down from the rafters of the fifth floor, brandishing a previously hidden staff. Its metal skin gleamed in the light as countless technological lights emitted from its hard exterior.

"_**I've seen your style of attack. Next time, there will be no lucky shots."**_

"How can you call it luck when your can is getting handed to you? Sorry, but Wario has only skill. Wahahaha!"

He jumped and slammed the floor again harshly, sending another earthquake Omega's way. The sly X-naut leapt in the air as he dived towards the greedy plumber, preparing to bash his face in with his staff. Wario sneered as he exhaled a gust of flames towards the flying squad member, only to be astonished when the soldier deflected the projectile with his staff.

'_Crap, I don't have time to dodge!' _Wario panicked as he tried to back up, but Omega was too close. The gaming company C.O. grunted in pain as the strike from the metal staff sent him hurtling towards the other end of the battlefield.

Silence stood for a moment, as Omega twirled his weapon in a skilled fashion before looking at his fallen opponent.

"_**Get up. I know you aren't defeated from an attack like that,"**_ he commanded to the downed treasure hunter.

Wario got up and smeared some blood off his lips before smirking.

"At least there's something we can agree on," he replied before raising his fists in a brawling style.

-

_Lord Crump's airship, second floor:_

"Why can't X-nauts just be like goombas, eh?" Mario asked while dodging a rapid-firing plasma gun. He leapt over a subsequent rocket launcher shell, the resulting explosion sending him aside.

Alpha reloaded his weapons. "Cause then we would be just like generic enemies, who are BORING!" He pulled out his signature pistol, firing at the plumber while going in close for a physical attack.

Mario pulled out a fire flower. He frowned darkly; it was his last one, and he had to use it wisely.

He felt the hot energy rush through his body as he absorbed the item, tossing fireballs as fast as Alpha clicked the trigger, each other's attacks canceling each other out. Immediately Mario leaped towards the soldier, unleashing a rocket kick that Alpha dodged. Mario quickly recovered and continued with a right thrust punch that barely missed its target. Alpha quickly took advantage of the miss, whipping out his pistol towards Mario's head and firing, but the aim of the weapon drastically changed before the blast, when the plumber countered by smacking the side of Alpha's cranium with his still outstretched hand.

The X-Squad member stumbled backwards, trying to regain his bearings, but the mustachioed man wouldn't give him a moment of relaxation, rushing at him and tripping him up before shooting him straight up in the air with a powerful rising kick.

Alpha flew through straight up into the air as Mario chased after him, gathering fire at the tips of his fingers. Drawing his arm into an uppercut position, he taunted.

"You should feel humbled! You'll be the first to taste my new move, the _Burning Uppercut!_"

Just as Mario neared Alpha, the soldier smirked. He whipped out a semi-large blaster, with a unique barrel that was similar to the wings of an umbrella.

"Sorry, but I'll pass! Please don't be offended, instead have a taste of my new blaster; the _Goop Gun!_"

He fired, the gun shooting out a slimy, sludge-like, green substance that quickly enveloped Mario's body, causing him to slowly plummet from the air. Alpha pulled out another gun, this time a launcher.

"This plasma launcher should finish you!"

He pulled on the trigger, blasting a large shell towards the hapless hero. Mario had nowhere to go, the green sludge holding onto him like a vice grip, making him unable to dodge.

'_If this hits me, I'm finished!' _He desperately tried to pull away the slime with his hands, to no avail.

'_Wait, that's it!'_

His right hand was still powered with the charged up energy for the burning uppercut. He could still perform another move.

'_I only have one shot at this!'_

He strained against the green substance to clasp the heels of his palms, lighting it with fire.

"Flame…Dragon!"

Fire burst from his hands, Mario recoiling from the attack and moving away from the path of the plasma shell extremely fast. Alpha paled.

'_If that attack hits the shell, the resulting explosion will-'_

He didn't even have time to finish the thought as the dragon-shaped flames connected with his shot, creating a huge blast of energy that reached both Mario and Alpha. The room shook from the explosion, the room growing brighter from the sheer light of the reaction.

The flash softened and the bodies of both competitors were revealed. Both were badly battered and burned from the blast; neither was moving.

Eventually, one of Mario's fingers twitched. Coughing some blood, the plumber struggled to stand. He was soon followed by Alpha, as they stared at each other brutally. The tension was obvious.

"Shall we-"

"-Finish this? But of course."

They both got in position to lunge at each other, when suddenly there was a huge tremor in the ground. They fell over, surprised, as a huge creaking sound could be heard throughout the ship. They could only hold on for dear life as the floor tilted rapidly to the side.

Mario snapped a look at Alpha.

"What just happened?!?"

"How should I know?!?"  The X-naut retorted bitterly, a hint of shock betraying his calm demeanor. He bit his lip.

'_That wasn't just this room that was shaking…something has happened to the ship!'_

Immediately he was hit with realization. He glared at Mario, giving a demanding voice.

"You, newbie! How did you get into the ship!?!" Mario thought for a second.

"Uh, we tried to get in through a door, but Wario blasted through the ship wall."

"How much damage did you do to the fourth floor!?!"

"Well, considering we had to fight all those guys….I'd have to say…a lot?"

"You _idiot! _Did you ever think that this place is in the _flipping sky_?!? You could have screwed us all!" He immediately refocused his attention to the elevator.

"Wha-what am I going to do?"

Alpha tossed him a card-key. "Use this to go through the elevator. Save yourself, and please, don't cause anymore trouble."

Mario could only stare at the plastic clarification suspiciously. "Why are you helping me?"

"I don't have time to play with you now. My teammates need me, and their safety is more important to me than your elimination."

He threw a smoke bomb that covered his tracks and blocked Mario's sight. The plumber could only hear a faint voice in the distance.

"Besides…we have to finish our fight. If I leave a newbie like you for death, I won't be able to take revenge later, ne?"

Mario could only stare into the smoke in silence, unbelieving of what had just transpired.

"_See ya."_

When the smoke cleared, the room was silent except for the heavy breathing of the scarred Mario.

He looked at his card-key – a ticket to the elevator.

'_Wario's gonna' pay…'_

-

_Lord Crump's Airship Seventh Floor – Command Center:_

"Buh huh huh WHAT?!?" Crump shrieked as the ship lurched violently. "Soldier! Status report, NOW!"

The X-naut PhD desperately mashed the buttons on the control panel. "S-sir! Damages on floor four have reached critical levels!" he panted, nervously pushing up on his glasses.

"What do you mean by that?!?"

"D-damages there have been left for too long! T-the ship is losing altitude!"

"What about our emergency boosts?"

"A-at this rate, even with emergency boost, the ship will still drop to the sky!"

Crump clenched his fist angrily. How could this happen! Grodus would _kill_ him if he trashed his ride! "Is it enough to bring the ship safely to another area?"

"Let me see…" the PhD said, before punching in some more buttons. "Yes! If we use our emergency floatation boosters now, it can help our ship crash land softly into…Delfino Plaza!"

The Commander's eyes shinned with anticipation. "Perfect! Soldier, get us to that island!"

"But what about the men still on Rogue-" He was cut off by the megalomaniac.

"Forget about them! They'll finish up things in Rogueport, while the rest of us start operations in Delfino Plaza! The Grand Shine seems to be playing into my fingers now!"

The PhD nodded his head vigorously. "Yes, sir! Activating emergency boosters now!"

Crump laughed, returning to his chair as he returned to his calm - albeit eccentric self.

Yes. Eventually, things would turn to his advantage. He looked at the screen showing Omega battling Wario, and then at the screen showing Mario entering the elevator.

Yes…they may think that they have won this round, but in reality…this was just the start.

-

_Lord Crump's airship, fifth floor:_

The battle continued as the onion-eating thief and the high level X-naut fought it out. Fist met fist as Wario tried to overpower and demolish Omega, but the smaller fighter was quick and skilled. He dodged Wario's lunge and smashed him in the side with his staff, propelling the large man into the corner of the room.

Smacking one of the cells containing hostages harshly before falling to the floor, Wario wiped off some another trickle of blood. He sat up, leaning against the corner for support.

"It seems I have no choice," he sneered, speaking in a sly voice. "I'll have to use my newest technique."

Omega did nothing but give him a "bring it on" motion.

Wario started to reach in his pocket when both were interrupted by a sliding door.

Mario walked out the elevator, glaring daggers at Wario.

Wario glared back, cursing under his breath. "Leave it to you to stick on my shoe like a wad of gum," he muttered, before turning serious. "What are you doing here?"

Omega just stared at the plumber, his eyes betraying no emotions.

"_**Red overalls…"**_

The silence between the three was unnerving, and to the imprisoned crowd who watched, gave a vibe of unrest.

"It doesn't matter how I got up here," Mario replied, motioning to the card-key he held in his hand. "You cheated me. I'm going to take you out." Wario laughed in amusement.

"Watch it, stupid, or you might get a beat down."

Immediately, both rivals forgot about everything around them, their mission, and their enemies, focusing on each other. Both eyes stared each other down, daring each other to make a move. When the two squabbled, one could only stand and watch as the two went at each other's throats.

Mario made the first move by lunging at his cousin, Wario choosing not to dodge but do the same. The two met in mid-air, enveloped in a cloud of comical smoke as appendages and limps frantically and furiously emerged from time to time.

Omega stared at them, fuming slightly because the two chose to ignore him.

"_**You two will regret underestimating me,"**_ he stated as he rushed towards them. Mario and Wario stopped their tussle and looked at the charging X-naut.

"Look, someone wants to interrupt our very important business," Wario grumbled, his eyes snapping onto Omega.

"Should we take him out?" Mario suggested, smiling when his large doppelganger agreed.

They quickly broke off from each other to double-rush the X-Squad member. It was so quick; when just a moment ago they were focused on each other. Omega found himself defending against a barrage of physical attacks, silently thanking that he had his staff with him. Wario went for a butt slam, but when Omega jumped in the air to avoid it he was assaulted with a flurry of attacks by Mario. He tried his best to counter all of the plumber's fast attacks, blocking with his staff, however the plumber's quick strikes proved to be too much for him as Mario knocked him down with his hammer.

Omega started falling to the floor with his opponents refusing to let up. Wario immediately smacked him with a hard shoulder charge, Omega barely blocking in time with his arms. He was still sent back a bit though, and was immediately blasted with a combo of fireballs from Mario. The group of flames each hit their mark, frenzied sparks of heat spraying from the focal point of the blast. Mario continued to fire hastily before ceasing, watching as the area where Omega was get enveloped in smoke.

Wario smirked. "Let's see him come up from that…"

The two were surprised to see the nothing besides the heavily-damaged floor emerge from the dissipating fog. Omega was gone.

"_**I concede,"**_ they heard him say, his voice echoing throughout the room. _**"You have won this battle, and it would be foolish of me to continue fighting a losing battle."**_

"Where are you?" Mario demanded, eyes darting around the room.

"_**I have escaped the area.."**_ He was interrupted when the airship shook again, though not so violently. Omega's voice continued. _**"You may have liberated the fifth floor, and gotten control over the prisoners, but don't expect victory. Hear my words. THIS. IS. NOT. OVER."**_ His voice rang for a moment in the room, before fading.

Mario's eyes widened.

"Prisoners?"

He had been so focused on Wario that he didn't even notice his surroundings. The walls were not really walls, but thick jail cells! He looked in one of the small circular windows to see tons of locked up Rogueporteans. He smiled. This was it! Goombella and Professor Frankly had to be in one of these cells!

He looked towards his cousin, forgetting about how the garlic-lover tried to ditch him on the ship.

"Wario! I need your help!"

Wario looked away. "No! Why should I help you?"

"Because a bag of gold with your name on it says so," he replied before holding up a large, thick bag with numerous bumps protruding from it.

"Where did you get that?!?" he snapped, staring at the bag of coins.

"Oh, did I say that the second floor was where all the stolen and provided goods, material wealth, including gold, were there? Yeah, thanks for throwing me down there."

Wario growled, clenching his fists as he prepared to attack at a moment's notice. "I could just fight you for it," he sneered. Mario was unsurprised by the reply.

"Fight me on a dying ship? Our time is running out, that plan of action won't benefit either you or me."

"How do I know your not bluffing?"

"Wario, the ship is tilting and rumbling. What else could it be? It's not an amusement park, you know."

Wario bit his lip as he thought to himself. Right there, in his face, was what he wanted, and all he had to do was help some pansy hostages. Grumbling, he walked up and snatched the bag of riches, muttering a soft, "Fine. Just don't expect me to cooperate that easily."

Together they quickly went over each cell, using their card-key to unlock the cell doors. Mario smiled when they saw Goombella and Professor Frankly rush out in pure bliss. The U Goom prodigy jumped up and hugged Mario as hard as she could while the older goomba just stood by watching, chuckling.

"Mario! I knew you would come eventually!" she squealed, holding on tight. The plumber couldn't help but smile. He had saved the captured citizens. Now he just had to get them out of here.

Wario seemingly read his mind, pointing to the elevator. "Escape pods are on the sixth floor," he said, and when Mario looked at him questioningly, he added, "The X-naut guy told me."

Mario looked at his cousin. Wario looked back.

"What?"

"Give your card-key to Goombella so she can get her and the others to the escape pods."

"No way! These guys are _your _baggage, not mine!"

"Well, I would give them mine, but last time I trusted you, I was locked in the elevator and tossed into the second floor. Or do I have to fight you to get back that bag of gold?"

"Tch…fine…" he conceded, before adding softly, "I could beat you anyway…"

"What was that?"

"None of your beeswax, mushroom head!"

Wario threw the card-key towards Goombella not-so-lightly, making sure to toss it a little left of her so she would have to scramble to get it.

He started walking towards the second elevator – the one he and Mario were in – motioning towards his temporary ally.

"LET'S GO."

Mario took one last glance at the female goomba.

"Think you can handle this?"

She smiled back at him. "I won't screw up," she promised, before heading towards the bustling ex-prisoners. "All right, guys! Single file! Don't run! All of us are getting out of here!"

Mario nodded, but didn't get a chance to absorb the moment as he was urged again by his cousin.

As the elevator doors closed off contact from both parties, Mario and Goombella parted with smiles; they were gonna' make it out of there, soon…

-

_Lord Crump's airship, third floor:_

"_Watch it, you pitiful specimen! This scientist is fragile!" _Gamma complained as some soldiers tended to his wounds. He grumbled, hating to be stuck in this foul room while the others aided him; he was a member of the X-Squad! An embarrassment like this could not be tolerated!

His train of thought was cut off as one PhD injected some healing serum into his arm. He winced as the door came open, Beta walking inside. His face was smug with the new victory that he hid under his hat.

"_Well isn't it the traitor,"_ Gamma hissed as he stared daggers at his fleet-footed partner. Beta shrugged his shoulders, jumping up and sitting on the medical bench that Gamma was being treated on.

"**Don't look at me like **_**that**_**," **Beta sneered slyly. **"Our mission was to prevent that ship from reaching Rogueport, not for me to go and save your sorry butt. I destroyed the ship, and went to report my success. It's not my fault you can't handle a battle!"**

Gamma's anger only grew at those words. The dog had left him for dead, and there was nothing the scientist could do. He silently swore revenge – this defeat would not be left unchecked.

"_I suppose you have nothing to do with the frequent ship shaking?"_

"**You suppose right. I have no idea what's happening."  
**

They were both interrupted by the door opening and Alpha entering the medical room.

"Is everyone okay?" he asked quickly, mainly directing the question towards his teammates.

"_Alpha! What's up with the shaking in this ship!?!"_

"**My guess is that it's coming from all that complaining your doing when you get treatment…" **

"_Shut it!"_

Alpha couldn't help but chuckle at the insult, before changing back to his serious demeanor and taking control.

"It seems that the damages sustained when our "intruders" arrived, is causing the airship systems to fail."

"**So we gotta' prepare ourselves for possible evacuation or crash landing?"**

"_Don't you listen? Of course that's what it means! Don't ask stupid questions!"_

"**I suggest you shut your trap, or you'll have to back up your words! And from your last display of battling, I don't think you want to do that!"**

"_Oh, it's come to that eh? Don't forget who is superior here! I could beat you with-"_

"_**Silence!"**_

Their gobs shut faster then hummingbird's wing-flapping speed. Their eyes peered towards their leader, Omega, limping into room.

"_**Get your transmission watches ready, we're getting a signal from Lord Crump."**_

They all glanced at their special watches, silent except for a couple more yelps from Gamma as he received more serum shots.

"Come in; come in, X-Squad members!" Crump's voice resounded from the transmission.

"_**We're present, Lord."**_

"Good. If you haven't realized already, this airship's propulsions are failing. The ship is going down."

"_Then shouldn't we be evacuating the premises immediately?"_

The voice replied quickly. "No, it's confirmed that our emergency boosts can manage to bring us over to Delfino Island with a crash landing that's not too severe. Forget about the intruders at hand, come to the seventh floor and aid in preparations. They're only here for the prisoners. When we land on Delfino, we'll continue preparations there."

Alpha slammed his hand on the medical table.

"But then what will happen to the troops down in the town?!?"

"Buh huh huh! Don't worry about them! They'll take care of things there and establish the base while we hunt down the Grand Shine! Two birds with one stone!"

"But-" Alpha was cut off by the arrogant commander.

"No more excuses, Alpha! As your superior, I order you to report to the seventh floor!"

As soon as he finished the command, the transmission went offline, leaving the X-Squad members to follow orders.

"_Unhand me, cretin!" _Gamma shouted to the medical X-naut who was treating him, before jumping off the health bench and scurrying out of the room. Beta followed him hurriedly.

Omega started to leave but stopped when he saw Alpha clenching his fists angrily.

"_**Is there something wrong?"**_ the leader asked, eyebrow raised. The sniper huffed.

"Both you and me know, Omega, that we don't nearly have enough men down there to capture the town. If Mario and co. gets down there, the soldiers will have no chance, and nowhere to go."

"_**Sometimes sacrifices must be made to piece together the big picture, Alpha."**_

"But at the cost of our own men's lives?"

Omega's eyes slanted towards him, immediately hissing, _**"It's that kind of companionship that makes a man weak, soldier."**_

Alpha spat back. "And it's that kind of apathy that is the bane of leaders," he shot, leaving the room before he would say something he would regret.

-

_Lord Crump's Airship, 1__st__/Bottom floor – Deployment Room:_

"Look at the mess you've gotten me in!" Wario shouted silently to the red and blue plumber who was hiding to the right of him, behind a pillar.

"Tch…who knew that there would be a robot here, guarding the parachutes?" Mario replied, more or less to himself, as he peeked over the obstacle he was hiding behind.

It was still there, looking, a robot about 2 times his size, covered - and what seemed to be compiled of – with yux. His cybernetic voice broke the tense silence.

"BRRR…OBJECTIVE…TERMINATE INTRUDERS…BRRR…"

"Okay!" Mario said to Wario, pointing towards the one enemy that blocked their escape. "As soon as he turns around again, we rush him!"

Wario mumbled something, but nodded. They waited another moment, before rushing towards his blindside in an all-out attack.

The yux-bot heard the sudden noise and swiveled towards his opponents, firing wide-arcing sound waves. Mario sidestepped one while Wario jumped through the other, continuing their assault. The plumber rolled along the floor, unleashing a sweep kick that took the machine off its balance.

"Now, Wario!"

The yellow-clad thief wasted no time body slamming the weapon down, pinning the robot's arms and feet down.

"Take him out twiddly-toes! Before he uses those micro bots again!" Mario rushed into action.

"Twiddly isn't even a word!" he shouted back before sliding towards the robot's head and charging his firebrand, then letting the ball of flame explode in a brilliant shine of light - the robot's central processor going with it.

"Okay!" Mario confirmed, rushing over to the parachute racks and grabbing one for him and his…"partner" of some sort. "Let's go!"

Wario smashed the panel that operated the hatch, immediately causing it to slowly creak open, rumbling slowly as if it tried its best to keep the two in there as long as possible.

It finally opened up fully, and the two capped fighters could see the town below them. During their escapades, the distance between it and the ship had greatened. They might not make it back to Rogueport, even with parachutes.

"Craaap…how are we going to get there now?" complained the thief.

Mario was distracted by the faint whizzing above him. Craning his head to see, he could make out the escape pods above him firing away, off the ship and towards the city. He smiled.

'_Nice job, Goombella…'_

"Hellooooooooo!!!" Wario shouted, breaking Mario out of his stupor. "Weren't you listening?!? How are we gonna' get out of here?"

Right after he asked the question, the elevator opened and X-naut soldiers poured out, drawing their weapons.

"Halt!" One commanded. "Surrender yourselves! You're surrounded!"

Mario snatched Wario's wrist surprisingly, screaming, "We're going to try, that's how!" before jumping off the ledge and speed dropping towards Rogueport; a screaming cousin beside him and a stunned legion of soldiers behind him.

**-**

**I'm really, really sorry guys. I have nothing to say about the lateness of this chapter except it's my fault. During the summer, I got caught up with AMV's, (I learned I had skills with movie making and got hooked, lol, BTW my username on youtube is WildGamer22, go and see some of my vids) and overall laziness came to be the bane of this chapter. But I took a stand – I was working on a collab AMV when I refused to continue until this was finished, so here we go! Sorry about this, I PROMISE that the next chapter will come out faster and will complete this saga. All your questions will be answered. Hopefully I didn't lose any readers…**


	8. Truth Revealed

**You may have read this before, but you really have to go to Shadow Star Forums! A new, casual place for members to relax and talk! Come support it and bring some more writers to the forum!**

_** http://shadowstarforums. 8**_

**Thanks for waiting! And without further ado, let's start the chapter! **

* * *

_Truth Revealed_

"I suppose you need a nice cold drink, sir?"

Mario nodded and was subsequently handed an ice cold chuckola cola.

He lifted the mug to take a swig, but stopped midway; he was still too confused to be drinking.

It had been a few days since the X-nauts attack, and so many questions were left unanswered.

-

After the hero's escape from their air base, he landed in the town to find most of the enemy forces taken care of via his friends. And for any other X-nauts who still lurked around, well, Mario dismantled them. They quickly disappeared without a trace, none of them still on the premises.

Currently the whole town was working together on rebuilding their home, including Mario and crew. They had nothing else to do at the moment: they couldn't leave, either, as it would take at least one day for the ships at the dock to repair.

And, above else, he couldn't leave until he unraveled all of the mysteries surrounding this attack…

-

_Mario stood in front of his allies, scratching his chin in thought. Wario leaned to the side, grumbling._

"_Why am I here again?"_

_Mario ignored his greedy cousin, giving his thoughts on the recent attack._

"_The rebirth of the X-nauts has led me to have many unanswered questions," he started, Professor Frankly agreeing silently._

_Mario folded his arms. "First of all, how did they come back bigger and badder? All of their members were dead, discarded, defeated, or unable to fight! The Secret Society disbanded when we defeated Grodus and Crump!"_

"_Maybe Grodus is back to power?" Koops suggested._

_Goombella countered. "That can't be possible. When we were finished with him, all that was left was a talking head!"_

"_Could that lout Crump have taken control?" inquired Flurrie. Brawler shook his head quickly in disagreement._

"_No way, that bozo is too stupid to make a comeback like this!"_

"_Then maybe someone else is leading them…" Vivian whispered, unsure._

"_Am I getting paid for this?" Wario asked rudely, immediately getting ignored by his peers._

"_I doubt that," Mario replied, looking at Vivian. "Listen guys, I was told to come here by Merlon, A.S.A.P. If he could sense something bad up here, then there must be a deeper plot to this."_

_Before they could continue discussion, they were interrupted by the door opening. Everyone's faces - excluding Wario – looked with surprise to see Captain Shuck in perfect health, along with Brick and Bob-omb._

_Brick chuckled at Mario's happy expression. Shuck laughed in a semi-serious expression._

"_I wake up to find most of the town in ruins. Did I miss something?"_

_The next moments were spent explaining to the captain what happened, Mario filling in the parts Brick and Bob-omb missed._

"_I see," Shuck said quietly after a moment. "Well, it seems that you's guys have your work cut out for you. My crew and I, though, will be busy creating a new ship. We need to get out of here."_

_He wished them best of luck before leaving. Mario wrapped up the meeting._

"_Okay guys, for the next few days while construction still goes on, keep on a lookout for any clues that point out this mystery, okay? Because when transport ships start coming in or the ships at port here can sail again, I have to leave. I can't leave the princess and my bro alone for too long."_

_Everyone nodded, except for Wario, and left. Frankly stayed inside and looked up as many books as possible, while garlic-loving man stayed outside against the wall, counting the amount of coins he "earned" from the whole ordeal._

_Mario walked up to him, about to speak, before Wario raised his palm to shush him._

"_I don't want to hear it!" he said instantly, shutting up his cousin. "I was only in this for the money! As soon as a boat is ready to leave port, I'm heading back to Diamond City!"_

-

It had been two days since then, and the whole group had come up with nothing. Even Frankly hadn't information. It seemed hopeless…

Mario finally drank the chuckola cola, chugging down the bubbly beverage. It seemed to be just him, but he just had a feeling that this whole problem may have something to do with a mystical force…

That's when it hit him. One person in this town may have the information he needs. He quickly stood up, leaving the half-finished drink on the counter and leaving payment for the bartender, running out the door to look for that person.

The only problem was that after the current events, he had no idea where he would be.

-

"What are your reports on damages in the castle, soldier?" the princess asked with a confident and stable demeanor.

"Not good…" the toad said solemnly. "Almost all areas of the castle have been damaged by Cackletta and her…apprentice. Almost the entire castle is grayed out…"

Peach nodded. "Thank you for the information. Carry on, soldier." The toad bowed before leaving her room, but not fast enough that he couldn't hear the worried sigh escaping her throat.

She turned to once again see all of the medical toads fawning over the unconscious Luigi, who lay on her bed knocked out for days. She worried for his health, as she had no clue what attack the witch had used to injure him. In addition to that, their best medicines had failed to stir him.

She was lucky; as Cackletta and Fawful traveled deeper into the castle that day, they seemed more focused on obtaining the power stars then attacking the residents. After completing their objective, the pair left as quickly as they came and without warning. Peach, on the other was focused on the crumpled body of the green plumber.

After that day, almost all the skilled craftsmen in the Mushroom Kingdom arrived, beginning repairs to her home. Soldiers were immediately deployed outside the castle to stop any of the citizens from entering. Any injuries sustained were treated, Luigi being at the top of the list. Peach then went to Merlon for assistance, and after the wise sage gave her the location of Mario, she sent a special Mushroom Kingdom delivery pigit to give him the news – hopefully he could lend assistance.

It should take approximately one or two more days for Mario to get the message, and she prayed that it would be quick enough. Cackletta had not made a single move after the raid in the castle, and she could only imagine what dastardly plans were up the witch's sleeves.

Her train of thought was interrupted when the wrinkly professor arrived at the scene, his facial expression very stern and complicated. Peach could easily see that he was thinking very, very hard.

"E. Gadd!" She exclaimed, surprised and anxious. "You haven't come out of that lab since the day of the attack! What's wrong?"

The professor answered quickly. "Well, you see, I've been working on all my inventions non-stop these past few days…" he raised his head in thought. "During that time, I could hear those two villains near my lab! I hid and used a speech enhancer to hear what they were saying. They were thinking about whether to go into my room or not, but eventually decided against it because there were no power stars."

Peach didn't understand. "So why have you been in there all this time? Right after the attack you came to learn what happened, removed that bracelet from Luigi, and demanded that no one bother you."

"I can tell that something bad is gonna' happen, I can feel it!" the excitable professor whispered eerily. "Something big…so I've been working on a slew of creations that will help the Mario bros!"

Peach gasped, taken by surprise. "How thoughtful of you!" she complimented sincerely, in utter awe of the elderly genius.

She turned once again to Luigi, who still did not move an inch. She recalled a warning Merlon gave her those days ago, when she came for help. Those words of incoming disaster…

"_Luigi has been felled?" the mage asked quietly. Peach nodded silently. Merlon looked at her with serious eyes, speaking sternly, voice strict and unbroken. _

"_I warn you, princess_…" _he started, his voice thick and regretful. "Do not rest easy. Prepare, for something devastating is soon to come…and we may all be in danger…"_

Peach had nothing to say, still pondering those mystic words. And as she watched the younger Mario brother be treated with utmost care, she could only think of what was to come…

-

Mario and Brawler stood at the end of the house roof's edge, peering past the houses and viewing a shadowy figure residing under an umbrella.

"See, I told you," Mario said as he pointed towards the figure in the distance. "I told you he'd be there!"

Brawler grumbled as he handed Mario one hundred coins. "I don't believe it…and I just won that from the pit, too…"

Mario jumped on Brawler's back. "Okay, I need you to use your flutter jump to cross the gap between these houses," he declared while pointing.

The young yoshi smiled as he got a running start, jumping and hovering over to the next roof.

"The memories of our adventures are coming back to me," he admitted as the two smiled devilishly to each other, before racing each other down the house roofs.

It only took a moment before they reached the mysterious figure at the end, his back turned towards them. He spoke without turning.

"Mario…you've come...care for a story?" Brawler perked up.

"Grifty? Man, that you?"

The minstrel turned around, giving a warm smile. "Of course. Who else would be on a roof?"

Mario didn't take the joke, his face serious despite the carefree atmosphere. Grifty noticed, his face darkening as well.

"Something on your mind, sir?"

"Grifty, you know many tales, do you not?" Mario asked, the minstrel nodding slowly.

"Do you know what the Grand Shine is?"

Grifty froze. "H-how did you find out about that?"

"Those X-nauts wanted it!" Brawler cut in, sensing that something interesting would happen, and was getting excited.

Grifty stayed silent, and seemed to be pondering something. "Very well," he said, before reaching for something in his cloak. Slowly, almost hesitantly, he drew a large old book.

"Here," he whispered softly, albeit serious. "Take this. It contains all the information you need and more. Use it well."

Mario took the book, analyzing its title. "_The Book of Infinite Truth_, eh? Sounds…cryptic."

"Less reading and more running, Gonzales!" Brawler interjected impatiently. "We gotta' get this info to the others!"

Mario nodded hastily and ran off with the yoshi, so concentrated with this new clue that he forgot to thank Grifty.

Had he looked back, however, he would've seen the sad gaze that the minstrel exhibited…

-

"Guys, guys, get over here!" Brawler shouted over to Koops and Bobbery. The two dropped the pieces of wood they were carrying and followed him. They found and contacted Flurrie and Vivian, while Mario looked for Ms. Mowz.

The plumber found the mouse in an alleyway, dispatching some goons that didn't know how to keep their hands in their pockets.

"And where have you been?" Mario asked sarcastically, referring to when she mysteriously disappeared during the invasion of the X-nauts.

She only smiled seductively and winked, muttering something about her badge shop.

As they left, Wario peeked out from the corner of the alley.

"This seems interesting…" he said devilishly to himself, before raising his palm and taking a bite out of a garlic clove.

-

Goombella was already inside the professor's home when everyone came in; studying all the books in the room in hopes that she could find some info on the Grand Shine. She didn't expect Mario and co. to burst inside with excitement, and she fell off her study chair.

"Can it!" she hissed to a snickering Brawler.

"What's wrong, Mario?" Professor Frankly asked, confused at all the gleaming faces.

"We found this, professor!" Mario couldn't help but shout out. The wizened goomba took a look at the textbook.

"_The Book of Infinite Truth?_ What in the world-" he immediately stopped his questions and instead ordered the book to be placed on the table, where everyone gazed at its mysteriousness.

With everyone huddled around him, Mario opened the first page. He started reading aloud.

"The se-"

_SLAM!_

He was cut off by the door swinging open violently, Wario strolling in casually. His rancid garlic-flavored breath was smelled by everyone, and he was immediately regarded with apprehension.

"_What's this about a new clue?_" the greedy man questioned, his words coming off him slyly. Mario cringed.

"What are you doing here? This doesn't concern-"

"Shut it!" Wario snapped, grinning mischievously at the book. "I helped save you guys, so _I think_ I deserve to know what's going on around here as well! You invited me to some crusty meeting to help you think of clues, but when you actually _find_ info, you don't tell me? That's a load of crap!"

With that statement, Mario went silent, and could only grumble as his cousin forced his way in the group.

The room settled down into a hush once again, as Mario started to read the contents of the book. The first page had only a little excerpt, but he read it anyway.

He started. _"The secrets of the world are in this book. The long forgotten legends - of evil and good. The constant struggle for peace... Only the prophecy can unlock this text's secrets and end these times of peril…after proving himself by gaining knowledge."_

"Only the first page and it's this confusing…" Goombella muttered. Frankly nodded, his glasses gleaming as he analyzed each word.

"It seems that this book has much information of days passed," he added, before smiling. "After this is all over I'd like to take a look at that…"

There was a little more discussion before Wario hushed them and Mario continued reading. The next pages were ancient; speaking of a tale containing corruption, power and tragedy…its words were as followed:

-

**In a time long forgotten - etched in history but is clouded by the dust of the new generation – there was a war. **

**It was a constant war, one that enveloped the world. The dark forces, (shadow beings) ruled by the Shadow King and his queen, against the holy force of the ancients and star spirits. They tried to enslave the world, but because of the actions of one star spirit…the forces of light would taste both victory and defeat.**

**During those dark days, there was a star spirit named Ocular. Fueled with the Earth's energy, he was a strong and intelligent star. He never slacked, fighting the shadows with his mystical powers and researching a way to keep peace in our world. Other star spirits looked up to him, and he was almost perfect except for one flaw – his lust for power.**

**It was this weakness that caused his defeat. Theorizing that he could defeat the shadows by using their powers against him, he stole one of the dark being's abilities. He then experimented on himself, successfully implanting the dark power in his being…but as a side-effect, he gradually became more evil and violent. He was even more powerful, but with his magic growing, so did his lust for death and battle…**

**He turned malicious from defeating and absorbing the power of every dark being, boosting his strength more and more with dark energy. He became so powerful that he was able to confront the Shadow King himself, and the two had a clash for the ages. After what seemed like eons of fighting, Ocular grasped victory – barely - and he was mortally wounded by the terrifying demon. With the Shadow Queen advancing to avenger her husband, Ocular pulled a desperate move in order to stay alive…influenced and corrupted by dark energy, he wanted to live more than ever now, to gain more power, and to protect the world. He then proceeded to absorb the remains of the kings power to fight back…it was a costly mistake.**

**With his body weakened, the Shadow King's spirit tried to take over his being and control him, but Ocular retaliated. The two energies, good and evil, eventually combusted, creating in its place a "sacred darkness"…**

**This new being, who called himself Oblivion, struck down the Shadow Queen with ease. (Though she survived, unknown to him, and escaped with her three daughters) He took control of the dark army she left in her place and lay siege to the star spirits **_**and**_** ancients. Possessing both the evils of the Shadow King and the sacred star power of Ocular, Oblivion was cold, calculating and far more dangerous then previous enemies. His bloodlust was dampened, but now more deadly with his choices. All seemed to be lost… **

**But from the waves of despair, a beacon of light appeared. A hero from the ancients rose and fought back against this new threat… No one knows how he appeared, but he kept humanity alive. He could not do it alone, though. The earth, feeling threatened, used its energy to create four powerful artifacts to aid this hero. These four artifacts, **_**The Great Star**__**Grand Shine**__**Demon's Star**_** and **_**Bean Pendant**_ **were used by the hero to engage Oblivion in battle, destroying the fiend's body and sealing his spirit into a volcano. The dark army dispersed, scattered over the earth's surface.**

**The hero faded into history, but is heard to have a line of descendants. Currently there are only four left. One descendant wearing red and one with green are destined to defy the uprising of Oblivion and save the world once again…**

Mario shifted through the rest of the almost endless pages. "The rest is blank…" he croaked with a broken voice. The book's words had completely broken his composure.

"That Grand Shine the X-naut spoke about is mentioned…" Professor Frankly quipped, uneasy "It seems that it relates to this…Oblivion character."

"But how does that explain the Secret Society wanting it?" Koops couldn't help but ask.

"Maybe they want it to revive this Oblivion person!" said Flurrie. "Think about it, last time they tried the Shadow Queen and failed, could they be after a new power now?"

The others quickly agreed, thinking they had solved the case. Goombella thought otherwise.

"That's not possible."

"Huh?" The group's faces were unanimous.

"For them to know about Oblivion is impossible. Frankly and I have access to even the most ambiguous historical dates, and we could find nothing on this event. Heck, they don't even have enough IQ points to _learn about it!_"

"So what are you saying?" Brawler asked, sensing something interesting coming up.

"I'm saying that they were told about this from someone who is connected with this story."

"But if a person was connected to this, he or she would _know_ how dangerous this guy is. I doubt that they'd tell an idiot like Crump," Koops murmured. The room piped up in agreement.

The group continued to quarrel, until an unexpected voice piped up.

"It's possible…" Vivian whispered, "That the person who told the X-nauts was…a shadow being…"

The thought shot through everyone's minds for a second, before Bobbery denied it.

"They're gone now, how could they be around to tell the X-nauts?"

Vivian pointed at a part of the text. "It says that the dark army dispersed and scattered… that means that they can still be alive, right?"

Professor Frankly's face cringed. "I really don't think that we're at the right conclusion here, but we don't have any evidence against this theory…"

Ms. Mowz who had been quiet for the most part looked questioningly at Mario, as if expecting him to say something. The scruffy plumber stood, arms crossed, silent.

"_I think that it's possible that Oblivion himself has returned,"_ he finally said, his voice ringing throughout the room.

"What?!?" Goombella shouted, almost appalled. "T-that's impossible! If he's arrived then the world would know…right?"

Mario shook his head. "Think again," he said, forcing them to re-evaluate their assumptions. This book says they're scattered – the shadow beings, I mean – and they've stayed like that for generations. How can they know that Oblivion would be coming back at this time? Even if they _did_ know, you would think that they'd stick together and take control of the Mushroom World as a present for his return, or something. Not only that, but the fact that it's been generations since that incident means that most of the population must be wiped out. The book didn't say they preserved or sealed themselves, you know."

Brawler jumped up both energetically and curiously. "But that still doesn't explain how the dude returned!"

"I was getting to that," Mario explained. "Remember how the Shadow Queen's seal ended in a thousand years?" Frankly nodded.

"The same can apply to him. Who's saying his seal couldn't have weakened as time took its course?" Everyone stared at him, silent. "I think he's returned, and has the X-nauts - and possibly some other villains - working for him."

"But why would he have the X-nauts working for him?" Goombella asked. "No, wait, let me rephrase this. Why would the X-nauts _want_ to work with him?"

Mario was quick with his answer. "Grodus has aligned himself with him."

"_What? _That's the craziest thing I've ever heard! You know Grodus is gone, we established that in our last meeting!"

"Think about it. This book says that Oblivion has the sacred powers of a star spirit. He could've restored Grodus to his original form, on the term that Grodus worked under him. Knowing what happened to him with the Shadow Queen, I doubt he'd refuse Oblivion."

"And now Oblivion has the X-nauts to compensate for his lost army?" Frankly contemplated, interested.

"Exactly. I know it's far-fetched, but that's what I think."

"Hnn, that makes sense…" the professor quipped. He became excited, feeling progression in this complex mystery. Unfortunately, someone had to ruin the moment.

"You guys are missing one very important fact," Wario stated, stopping everyone in their tracks.

"Those thoughts are only valid if this book," he started, pointing at the large text, "_can be accounted on._"

Mario's eyes widened slightly, not expecting the well timed, well spoken outburst. The room fell silent. Though this halted their knowledge of the situation, Wario couldn't help but sneer at his thought-stopping comment.

"This book came from Grifty," Mario started slowly, "I believe that it can be trusted."

Wario looked at the others "You're gonna' believe this pansy's story just because it came from some punk?" he asked.

Mario interrupted Wario's tirade. "That, and the fact that the book talks about me and Luigi. Red and Green, come on, that's a given!"

"That could easily be a toad," Wario persisted.

"Regardless, that's the only explanation I have, and I'll stick with it. We don't have much data here."

Frankly took a look at the book. Why is everything else blank? Does it have to do with that excerpt from the beginning? "_Only the prophecy can unlock this text's secrets and end these times of peril…after proving himself by gaining knowledge."_

Bobbery nodded. "Aye, I'd bet my sailor's beard on it. Methinks someone has to hold onto it for more of the pages to be shown."

"Check again if there's anything written on there, professor," Goombella asked, desperate.

Frankly nodded before searching through again. Once again he blazed through blank pages uninterestingly, until he stopped at the very end in shock.

"This…this wasn't here last time I looked through!" he sputtered uncontrollably.

"What?" Mario shouted, grabbing the book and reading the words at the end of the page. His words trembled as he read the words:

"_The assigned one - guarded to hold this secret until the final battle arrives, and the prophecy rises to stop it – is to treat this information like a part of him. Never to retreat, and never to surrender when its purpose and existence is threatened. It is up to him to scour the earth for generations until it is time to aid the hero, and once this deed is done, the assigned one's life will be no more. His spirit will disintegrate, and join the earth once again."_

"Wait, then that means…Grifty!" Mario dropped the book and shot out of the room, despite the cries of his partners.

Frankly was still stunned. "Those words…they weren't there before, how could they…"

-

Grifty looked solemnly as his body started to dissipate into a plethora of blue sparkling energy from the bottom up. His feet had already been consumed, the blue sparkles reaching his knees now, like a virus. His existence would be no more, and once again he would join the earth that created him.

He gazed at his right palm - which had also started to disintegrate – and sighed.

"Why must this happen? I knew that eventually it was to be, but…" he stopped to look out at the busy rogueport. The bustling town was full of people everywhere. He could see the hard work and determination of all the residents, their joyful aura bursting throughout the town.

"But, after all these years…the decades of living here, alone, I've grown an…attachment…"

He continued to disperse into nothingness.

"Seeing humankind grow and expand, I was really fascinated by them… I want to stay in this world…"

A voice spoke out to him, a voice only he would be able to hear. The voice of the planet's life force.

'_such a thing cannot happen…' _it spoke calmly, without emotion. _'Your reason here was to act upon our will…now that the prophecy has been warned, you will join us again…'_

Tears fell from the minstrel's eyes, each drop rebounding off the crusty, old roof tiles.

"No…I want to stay, I want to stay… I want to see these people grow as they stand up against this new force…" he hiccupped as almost all of his body evaporated into the earth's life force. Only his head remained.

'_Shh, it's alright…this is for the best…you've already been changed by these people…you're not to have emotion…'_

Grifty had almost disappeared.

'_Come, now, return to me…and continue to support these people as a part of us'_

"No…" he whispered right before he disappeared. "No…."

'_Say goodbye…'_the voice whispered before fading into the distance.

-

Mario rushed to the scene, desperate and afraid. He zoomed through residents young and old, down to the East side of Rogueport. Reaching the area, he looked at the roof where Grifty was last seen.

He wasn't there.

Eyes opening wide, the plumber proceeded to unleash a miraculous triple jump that landed him on the roof. He scrambled around the area for any sight of the minstrel, anything that would quell a strong fear inside him.

Nothing. Grifty wasn't there.

"_The assigned one - guarded to hold this secret until the final battle arrives, and the prophecy rises to stop it – is to treat this information like a part of him. Never to retreat, and never to surrender when its purpose and existence is threatened. It is up to him to scour the earth for generations until it is time to aid the hero, and once this deed is done, the assigned one's life will be no more. His spirit will disintegrate, and join the earth once again."_

"Grifty…when you gave me the book, you-" Mario choked in disbelief. He had indirectly killed an innocent man.

"No…it's possible, you have to be alive…no…NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

-

-

_**The Next Day**_

-

The sun was shining and the town was pumped up. Much work was completed the day before, and, surprisingly, there were some ships docked in the harbor ready to sail.

Two men were ready to set sail: Mario and Wario. With the revelations that the _Book of Infinite Truth _brought, both of them had their own agenda.

Wario planned to return home and prepare for a new adventure – and his newest mission was to steal the four artifacts. Though he was still skeptical of the whole thing, the chance that it was real was still there. Just the thought of the money involved made him want it.

Mario, still dejected after realizing that Grifty was gone, knew that he had to return to Toad Town. If his hunch was correct, and Oblivion had returned, he could be using more villains like the X-nauts to do his dirty work. As he thought back, he remembered that he would want the artifacts – Gamma, when still captured by them, revealed that.

He, with many friends like Captain Shuck and his crew along with Goombella and the rest of the party were outside Frankly's house. Mario offered the book to the old goomba.

"Are you sure you don't want the book to study?"

The professor rejected the clue. "Obviously its better off with you, the darn thing seems to reveal more information as you hold onto it. By the way, have you checked it again since yesterday?"

"No, that's a good idea." The plumber creaked open the book and shuffled through its pages.

"I…I can't believe this…"

"Hnn?" Bob-omb perked up, interested.

"This...this book, there's something new inside it!"

"What?!?" Goombella almost shrieked, before taking the book and staring at it. Her mouth only opened wider and wider as she read the book's contents.

"This information…" she started, slowly, shaken. "It's information on the Great Star and Grand Shine!"

Everyone peered in anxiously.

"I see…" Frankly said, amazed. "Mario! You must waste no more time! Return to the Mushroom Kingdom at once!"

"We…we'll take care of this place from anything else, so don't worry about us…" Koops whispered in his calm, nervous voice.

Mario was still reluctant, unsure of what to say. But as he formulated a sentence, a smile formed on his face. He could trust these guys. They'd take care of everything.

"Okay," he concluded, "I'll see you guys later."

As he left, a shadow in the alley grinned. Wario stuck his head out.

"New information, huh?" he spoke to himself greedily. "I better get my hands on it…"

-

Peach walked into the emergency room, tired and nervous from lack of sleep. Luigi still lay there, motionless.

"Any progress from yesterday?" she asked hopefully to one of the toad doctors working on him.

"I'm sorry, princess. There have been no signs of improvement since we first examined him. I'm afraid his situation is critical.

"I see…"

Peach walked over to the large window and gazed at the view.

"If only you could get here sooner…Mario…"

-

As Mario walked through the docks, Wario intercepted him eagerly.

"So, what are you gonna' do now?" he asked suspiciously, and way too caringly.

"I'm heading back to the castle to prepare my next move," he replied quickly without a second thought. "Why?"

"Oh, so you actually believe what that book says?" Wario continued, ignoring his cousin's question.

"Yeah."

"Could I take a look at it?"

Mario stopped to watch Wario questioningly. He felt something odd about this…

"I just want to check it again for clues…"

Forgetting about the garlic lover's greedy and untrustable nature, Mario handed him the book. Wario quickly ravaged the pages to get the information he needed.

"Ah, I see," he muttered before finishing and returning the book. "Nothing in there that seemed to point out at me, I guess."

"I see," Mario started, interested in the conversation. "So where will you go now?"

"Diamond City, of course! I do have a company to run, after all!"

"Well, then, I guess this is good bye," the plumber whispered. "Oh, and…thanks for your help back there…you know, on the ship."

"Forget it, it was nothing. Well, I better get on that ship before that pansy Flaviard…erm, Flavio leaves, so I guess I'll smell ya' later." Wario grinned before walking the other way.

Mario waved as he left but the CEO ignored it.

'_Wahahaha, that fool! Now I know that two of the treasures are here! __**The Great Star, located in Star Haven, and the Grand Shine, found at Isle Delfino!**__ I'm definitely going to the island…and I'll grab it before you do!'_

-

Mario immediately noticed the ghostly ship of Cortez floating in the harbor. Ecstatic, the plumber ran up into the dock to find the ghostly head enjoying…well, whatever floating heads do.

"_Aye, Mario!"_ the skeletal terror announced passionately. _"What can I do for ye?"_

"Actually, I need a ride to Toad Town immediately. Think you can help?"

"_Why, of course!"_ The ghost answered proudly. _"Saddle up, we're going to the castle!" _he disappeared in a fog of blue flame as the rickety boat started to set sail.

Right before heading down into the bunkers, Mario was hit upon the head with a scroll of paper. He looked up to see a pidget circle around him overhead before flying back in the direction of his destination.

'_Was that a…royal mushroom delivery pidget?' _He asked quietly. He opened up the message with some degree of difficulty before reading it.

It was written as followed:

_**Dear Mario,**_

_**You must return to the castle immediately! It's horrible! Cackletta…Cackletta and her evil little henchman broke in and stole the power stars! And what's worse is that they hurt Luigi, badly! I'm worried for him!**_

_**This whole place is in shambles, you need to come quickly!**_

_**Love, **_

_**Princess Peach**_

With every sentence Mario's eyes opened wider. Cackletta was dead, he was sure of that! For her to return…it only confirmed his suspicions!

"Let's go at double speed, Cortez!" he shouted a little shakily. "The princess needs me!"

"_Aye aye!"_ was the ghostly reply.

* * *

**Whoo, finished! Not only that, but I'm off hiatus as well! I feel real good right now!**

**And just like that, the first arc is finished! More of the storyline is revealed, and Mario has finally left Rogueport! What adventures awake when he returns to the capital, and what will happen to Luigi? Stay tuned for the next chapter!**

**I hope none of my reader's left me, which would just crush my heart. **

**Don't forget to check my author page! **

**See ya' next time!**

_**No, but seriously, join SSF. I'm counting on you, readers ;D **_

_** http://shadowstarforums.**_


	9. The Great Star

**Chapter 9**

_The Great Star_

In the darkness of a mysterious room, the being War marched up to Oblivion – who was lounging in his golden throne - and bowed down respectfully.

"You called for me, master?"

"War!" The figure shouted, unamused. "Where is the Un Guerrier?! He's supposed to arrive with the Treasure of the West!"

Toxic, beside him, snickered lightly. War answered quickly.

"Smithy, the Un Guerrier, currently has his most trusted men securing the Sarasaland. They are still looking for the Demon's Star, and Smithy promises that he will arrive there himself and find it."

"Tch…do you know how it feels to lie here, a shell of my old self, waiting to become powerful enough to even manifest in a physical body!? I grow tired, War! I've already gone to Demon's Peak and found a suitable body to form into, now I just need the Treasure of the West to do it!"

"My deepest apologies, master," War quickly said, humbling himself. "If it will quell your anguish, Wart – the Quatre Guerrier – has seized the Beanstar Castle and is able to access the Bean Pendant, he just needs to unlock the Beanstar to do it."

"And the Treasure of the East?" The figure said, slightly calmer.

"The Treis Guerrier's – Grodus' – forces were unable to capture Rogueport, but are currently heading toward Isle Delfino to obtain the Grand Shine."

"Hmph…"

"Thankfully, though," War continued, "Cackletta, the Duex Guerrier, has reported a success in the retrieval of the power stars. Soon she is to storm Star Haven and unlock the Great Star."

Toxic snarled lightly in disappointment. "I dessspise when I have to rely on others to take care of things for me! War! Tell those fools in Sssarasaland to hurry up, or I'll make sure they'll never sssee the new era that we'll bring!"

"Toxic!" War snapped quickly. "Watch your tongue!"

"Heh…" Oblivion said quietly. "Leave him be, War. Like me, Toxic grows impatient. See to it that The Un Guerrier receives his message."

"As you wish." War left the room as quickly has he had entered.

Oblivion rested his head in the palm of his hand. He smirked.

"Can you feel it, Toxic? Our time grows close. Soon, this world will be ours!"

-

An anxious Mario could only watch the time as day turned into evening, promising to darken into the unmistakable night sky. No matter how much he willed it, the plumber couldn't make the ship go any faster, and was left to sulk indefinitely until he arrived to Peach's castle.

Bored and needing something to take his mind off of home, he cracked open _The Book of Infinite Truth_. Nothing had changed since he reviewed it in Rogueport, but he decided to study it again for the sake of it.

"Let's see here…" he mumbled to himself as he read the information on the Great Star.

-

**The Great Star, the source of massive strength in all fields, was used by the hero to increase his offensive abilities so he could stand toe-to-toe with Oblivion even in the final hours of war. Anyone who holds the item, no matter how evil or good, would feel their powers and abilities multiply many times in effectiveness. Created from most of the world's power stars and star men, it is an effective tool. Sealed away in star haven – for each generation of star spirits to keep it secret and protect it – it can only be unlocked by someone who wields the star rod and at least 150 powerstars. That person must also be fairly strong, both realistically and in will.**

**-**

That was the core information. Everything else was just pointless explanations on Power Stars, star men, and Star Haven – background information. He had a feeling that much more would be explained later on.

As for the Grand Shine…well, he knew virtually nothing. All that was shown was that **"The Grand Shine is located in the Island of Delfino"**, and that was it. However, Mario didn't worry, for he wasn't focused on it yet.

The plumber pondered. Star Haven was close to the castle. Should he visit the star spirits first and learn about the Great Star? Or should he continue with his original plans to see Peach? Luigi was hurt, and his big-brother mentality instantly kicked into play. But with villains like Cackletta and the X-nauts on the loose…it was only logical that he'd go to Star Haven first.

He sighed. Racking his mind would do him no good, especially when he couldn't act on his decisions. He would figure out what to do before he hit land.

-

As Peach sat in her chair - tired, but too worried to sleep - she gazed upon Luigi's resting form. The medical toads had since left to give him his rest. She could only hope that the younger brother was okay, and would come back in one piece. She sighed. The castle was being repaired very quickly, and she was sure that E. Gadd was making excellent progress on his experiments, but all of the positive energy from the success was effectively inefficient because of Luigi's condition. Slightly pale, with beads of sweat treading over his face, his eyes were peaceful but closed. His breathing was so light that Peach strained to hear it.

Suddenly, he stirred. The princess eyes snapped open, surprised.

"Luigi…" she whispered, in disbelief. The younger brother did not move again.

"Please…wake up…"

-

It was all white. Everything was white. Luigi was in this limitless, lawless zone with absolutely no grasp on where he was and what to do. The last thing he remembered was fighting Cackletta, before falling into a deep, deep sleep - swallowed by the black pit that was unconsciousness.

He had never been to such a place, yet it emitted an aura of familiarity. What was he to do? Was he dead? Where was the Mushroom Kingdom he knew and loved? The room was eerie to him, and-

"**Hey, champ." **

Luigi swiveled around to come face-to-face with his sneering counterpart, who had not been present moments ago. In this encounter, Mr. L. was wearing a dark suit with a green bandana and black mask that covered his eyes. He had a belt and the "L" emblem on his hat was reversed.

And in that moment, as if his appearance had triggered it, the white room began to drip away into black excess. The setting darkened slowly as it closed him in with his dark half.

Mr L. gave Luigi an ominous smirk, the chilly smile creeping down the plumber's spine.

The worst was soon to come.

-

It was night time now, as stars glittered and shined with relative beauty in the entrancing sky.

"Mistress…" Fawful wondered as he and Cackletta strolled up the path of Star Way, "why couldn't we have the using of Starmen instead of the Power Stars of much trouble? I have the thinking that they would have the easiness of obtainment…"

"Fawful, Fawful," she chided, "It'd be better if you knew these things. You see, there is a significant difference between the two stars. Starmen increases one's physical fortitude, making them superior in strength, defense, and other outward skills. Power Stars, on the other hand, power you up spiritually. Any mystical powers you may have will be dramatically boosted. How do you think Bowser managed to transform parts of Peach's castle into his own realms when he took it over that one time? The stars. And because of them, we will be able to unlock the doors that have concealed the Great Star for years."

The two finished the trekking up Star Way, stopping before a large, sparkling French door. It stopped their progression into Star Haven.

"Yes! I have understanding, O great Cackletta!"

"Excellent. Now, are you ready? The real battle starts once we go past this barricade."

Fawful nodded, with an eager, sinister smile pasted over his face. "Let the destruction have beginning…"

Cackletta grinned; waving her hand in a lax fashion as lightning struck and blasted the door to nothingness. The stars ahead instantly turned towards the intrusion, only getting a glimpse of the enemy before they were struck down by electricity and energy blasts, tasting quick death.

"Intruder alert! Intruder alert!" Screams of warning echoed throughout the haven, stars desperately trying to convey and control the situation before it could get out of hand. Many tried attacking the duo, but were completely shut down by Fawful's headgear. The crazed mouth of the machine curled upwards in anticipation, releasing attacks like a mini-turret to remove them from the sky.

Their attacks were fruitless. Each star was not nearly as powerful as the Star Spirits, and had no chance against the two villains. They knew this yet continued fighting, hopeful that a miracle would occur, and refusing to let evil prevail.

Hands lying under her robes, Cackletta hummed as she traveled the stairs towards the Star Spirit's lair.

"The screams of innocent lives are a great way to cheer me up," she cackled to herself as Fawful began to shoot the defenders down with his Fink-Rat-Zapper. One star actually managed to slip past the toady and closed into the witch, but was immediately killed with lighting. She didn't even look.

Approaching the temple of Star Haven, her entertainment was cut off by a sudden blast of light energy, in the form of a wave of stars. Dodging to the left quickly, she growled as the hem of her cape was almost singed. In front of her, impeding the path to the star rod, were the Star Spirits.

Eldstar glared at the mistress. She countered with an equally ferocious gaze, while Fawful continued battling the other stars. Instantaneously she disappeared, the Spirits only catching blurs of her as she twisted her hands to conjure attacks.

The spectral entities dodged the incoming wave of lightning and bats, returning fire with their own otherworldly techniques.

Cackletta announced her presence with an ear splitting laugh before appearing behind Muskular and attempting a stab, but the blue star dropped the strength of the strike with his ability, "chill out". He smiled as he was softly pushed away.

The villain grunted before raising her cape to shield a rain of stars from Skolar. Klevar, the studious star, tried to slow down the time around her, but she resisted it with her will alone. Hitting him with a sharp gust of wind, she sighed irritably as Misstar healed him.

"I grow tired of this. Prepare yourselves – I end the game _now_."

Focusing as the Power Stars revolved around her and illuminated her, she took in their power. Before the Star Spirits could act, she was covered in a golden hue and above them, dropping gravity holes that trapped them and limited movement.

"Fawful, now!" Her sudden shout caused her servant to jump from the shadows and hit each star with a binding net from his headgear.

"Defeating of the enemies who are fools complete, mistress!" the toady replied happily.

"Eeeyah ha ha ha ha! Now, you all have front row seats to the rise of greatness! The Great Star will be mine!"

Mamar gasped in fear. "N-no! You'll overthrow the balance in this world! The power unleashed will bring about the destruction of us all! You can't-"

"Silence!" Cackletta said abruptly. "You know nothing of our plans! The Four Treasures of the Mushroom World will be ours, and a new era of darkness will begin…"

Eldstar screamed at the two. "Do you have any idea of what you will revive?! Those artifacts hold the spirit of Oblivion! They're awakening will-" his ranting was quickly replaced with an agonizing struggle for breath. Fawful had shot him.

"Have the shutting up! We are knowing the effects that is to happen."

"Then why…"

"Because we are not fools," Cackletta answered. "We know what we are getting into."

She slowly advanced towards the glistening star rod, laughing the whole way through. Grasping it by the hilt and feeling the power, the woman raised it over her head, summoning all 150 Power Stars to gather around it.

"No, she is fulfilling the requirements!" Mamar screamed before stopping in a fit of coughing.

The amount of bright energy protruding from the items was so grand, only the witch's gleaming teeth was viewable.

"A step for the oncoming revolution…" she muttered eerily. Clenching the star rod, she boasted, "I DEMAND THAT THE GRAND STAR BE REVEALED!"

-

A moment.

That's all there was for the fearful faces of the Star Spirits before the Haven was overwhelmed with a growing white light.

-

Instantly, a large rumbling in the sea was felt. Waves thrashed around, violently slamming the ghost ship. Mario was tossed around the deck.

"_What 'n the name of Blooper is goin' on?!_" Cortez shouted amongst the roaring sea. "_The sea was calm an' then she jumps around suddenly! What's the disturbance?_"

-

"Ahh!" Princess Peach screamed as the castle rumbled without stop. Smaller pieces from the ceiling were falling, and she threw herself over the pained Luigi in hopes of protecting his vulnerability. She heard screams in the distance and questioned their current predicament; the Mushroom Kingdom rarely had earthquakes. What was going on?

-

Goombella fell from the bookshelf ladder as a sudden earthquake removed her balance. Books dropped freely as Frankly grabbed her and moved in a corner.

"A quake!" he screamed to her above the noise. "Keep your ground!"

-

Oblivion felt a tremor flow through his veins.

He laughed.

-

The light was gone.

In the temple of Star Haven, one stood above all else.

Cackletta dropped the star rod and Power Stars, as they were completely devoid of power. They did not glow anymore, and were coloured a stony grey.

No one noticed it. They were looking at the behemoth of a star over Cackletta's head, shining flawlessly with a perfect gold hue and silver linings. The tips, instead of being regular points like a normal star, or spherical bulbs like a grand star, were triangular prisms jutting out of the artifact.

"Truly majestic…" she whispered, as she grabbed it and it magically shrunk down to a palm-sized treasure. "This power…I feel invincible!"

Unknown to her and Fawful, Eldstar had somehow escaped his net during the flash of light, and charged at the witch.

'_I won't allow you to take that!_'

Without even turning, Cackletta stopped the momentum by grabbing his body with the palm of her hand. Her bony green fingers curled around his frame before she slammed him into the ground with enough force to crack the pillars holding the temple. Releasing her grasp, she smirked as Eldstar was put into a coma.

"Physical and spiritual strength…I have it all!" she proclaimed before looking at Fawful. With a wave of her right hand, the toady was enveloped in a protective green shield.

"I grow bored of this place," she noted as her left hand was raised upwards. A deadly red sphere of energy grew above her fingers, hissing and cackling with dark electricity.

"And now," she shouted, "Star Haven and its populace becomes a memory!"

The dark sphere of energy, now the size of two basketballs, was thrown into the ground.

From a far distance, one could see the haven glisten in thin, dark sparks, before it exploded in a vicious blast of sinister energy.

Star Haven and its inhabitants ceased to exist.

**-**

**With summer, my motivation and ability to write freely has increased! I honestly thought that this chapter would be longer…but whatever. I like the ominous feel that it gives. R&R, folks. I need at least 3 to sustain myself ;D.**

**On another note how was chapter 9? Enjoy the suspense? The action? Criticism is appreciated.**

**  
Don't forget to visit my page! Even though i'm sometimes forgetful to update, heh, i do my best and you can get new information on my progress. Not only that, but there is a link to a forum i go to that could use a few members!**


	10. Celestial Red, Twilight Green

**Chapter 10**

_Celestial Red__, __Twilight Green_

"W-what was that?" Mario asked Cortez as the reddish sphere of energy that exploded moments ago started to fade away. Mario had a bad feeling run down his spine the moment he felt the attack go off in the distance, and was afraid. From his distance at sea, he couldn't tell, but he knew it was in the Mushroom Kingdom…but where? He gulped in fear as the target could have been the castle. There was no other place to attack, right? Anxiety overcame his impatience to reach the island, as Mario felt time constrict around him like a thick noose.

"_Oi, Mario! We'll be hittin' land soon enough! Prepare to drop anchor an' open the sails!_" Cortez shouted from above. The plumber nodded, prepared.

-

"A quick return…" Toxic muttered as Cackletta and Fawful emerged in the room before Oblivion in a flash of light.

"I was able to teleport all the way to this base from Star Haven in only one casting!" She murmured astonishingly. "The Great Star only continues to amaze! And to think, I had only used a fraction of the possible power back then to destroy the Haven!"

Fawful stammered in agreement. "E-Even I had the c-chills of a fink-rat who is weak! That treasure of power is truly a weapon of much fear!"

"_**Did you make sure to destroy all of it?**_" Oblivion asked, slightly agitated.

"Of course," the witch responded coolly. "I made sure that the Power Stars and the Star Rod were destroyed, too. No resealing the Great Star."

"_**Tch…you probably didn't silence the Star Spirits. With their powerful auras, they're sure to retain some form of themselves after death… **_

_**No matter, the Prophecy cannot stop me either way."**_

"Have the others managed to take their designated treasures?" Cackletta asked.

"Not yet," Toxic responded in an annoyed tone. "I hate relying on fools…"

"Really? They're just as slow as they are stupid," she muttered. "I gave them the information they need, yet there is no progress."

"_**Yes…**_" Oblivion noted, "_**The knowledge you held about the Treasures is invaluable. To think you had so much knowledge about the upcoming revolution when I found you in the Underworld…it was only more reason for me to add you to our ranks!**_" His face twisted in thought for a moment. "_**You never did explain how you obtained that information…**_"

"Ah, yes" Cackletta responded without worry." To do that, I'd have to go back all the way to when I fought the Mario brothers…"

-

"You see, one time I plotted to take over the Beanbean Kingdom with the help of the Beanstar. When those meddlesome Mario brothers intervened, things didn't go as planned. Our final battle ended in my defeat, sending me to the Underwhere. There, Jaydes gave me one of the capital punishments available, for those who were prime offenders of injustice. I was sentenced to a land with nothing but darkness, with no sense of ground or physics. I was to walk amongst nothing but the shadows, alone and with no understanding. I could not sleep. I could not eat. I could only wander forever with no vision. It was like being blind. I wished I could have gone insane…but that is something left for mortals."

"A punissshment worse than death…to be left with an everlasting uncertainty…" Toxic muttered with a smirk.

"Yes," she solemnly agreed, before continuing. "With no sense of time, I couldn't tell you how long it was, but one day I found a book. I don't know how it got there; it must have been fate. I had heard rumors about the book in my studies…and when I opened its pages, I learned about it all…"

Oblivion's eyes flashed. "_**You don't mean…**_"

"The Dark Prognosticus," she whispered darkly. "The revolution, the Treasures, Ocular…everything. It told me what I needed to know. However, some information is not as detailed as others. It continues to reveal more as time passes. Soon after, you arrived. You told me what I already knew, and offered me a way out. To ally with you. So I did. And I gave you the information you needed."

"_**What about betrayal?**_"

"I don't see the point. Betraying you will only hamper you minimally and can end in my death. Not only that, but I can trust that you will need me in your time of ruling; you won't run out of use for me."

"_**How do you know that**_?" he asked with a smirk.

"A dictator is only effective when he or she has suitable influence over what they lead. Such influence is most effective when one has many soldiers and attack force in which they can terrorize. With your dark army gone, who is to stop the world from working secretly working against you, doing things under cover from your eyes? With strong, loyal minions like us, you can amass complete control over the world." Her eyes gazed back and forth from Oblivion to Toxic.

"However, if you are defeated and/or unable to succeed, and everything is available for me to rise and take power, I will not be afraid to remove my services."

Silence, for a moment. Then laughter.

"_**Ha! An intelligent one, you are. I like my soldiers like that; loyal, but willing to take advantage of a situation. It means that you're not a pushover. It's good to know that at least one of you is planning for the future.**_"

"Ah, so you also suspect that the other Guerriers plan to betray you?"

"_**Obviously. It is unfortunate, because I am in need of good men, but they are foolish to even hope of opposing me. I will destroy them the moment they get me what I want. Even with one of the sacred treasures, they are no match. I fished them from Underwhere, and I can send them back just as easily…**_"

"With the Dark Prognosticus, we now know how to unlock the Bean Pendant, and the location of the Grand Shine. Even with limited information on the Demon's Star, we're sure to succeed."

"Stay here and wait for further ordersss…" Toxic muttered. "Wart should sssoon arrive with the Bean Pendant..."

-

The moment Cortez's ship hit shore, Mario bounded off the ghostly rails with a mighty leap and onto familiar mushroom ground.

"_I owe you one, Cort!_" Mario shouted back as he continued his dash towards the castle. He didn't hear the reply the Ghost gave.

It seemed like ages as he ran, full of worry. He finally reached into view of the castle, far away. It looked fine, but the plumber wasn't satisfied. Continuing his run, but at a slightly slower pace, he finally reached the front doors of the castle. He realized that at this distance, the castle was actually slightly battered and parts of it were being reconstructed. Ignoring this, he burst in, finding a slightly destroyed and empty lobby.

'_Where is everyone?'_ he asked himself. He investigated the room without luck, eventually deciding to continue on in the next room, when it happened.

"Mario!" a toad shouted. Snapping his head back, the plumber realized that the mushroom had just come through the front doors.

"Mario, where is she? I need to talk to the princess!"

"I need to know myself! I just got here!"

"T-the base of Star Way! It's ruined! Pieces of architecture are everywhere! It's like a tornado hit the place!"

"What?!" Mario snapped. "Has anything happened to the castle?!"

"Not that I know of…after the attack I heard of, at least. But, oh! There was this really big explosion of red energy a little while ago, it really gave me the creeps…I wonder if it has anything to do with Star Wa-?"

Mario had rushed out of the castle before the Toad could finish the question.

-

Rubble. Ruins. Disaster.

The three words perfectly described the area around the beginning of Star Way. Pieces of Star Haven architecture lay around the area. Looking, he could even find the center pedestal lying in the corner, cracked and disgraced.

"_Mario…"_ the voice was faint and crackled. Mario's head swiveled towards the centre of the pedestal, the beginning of Star Way. There, a hazy, cackling apparition of Eldstar took form. Soon, the forms of the other Star Spirits manifested beside him, fading and reappearing quite quickly.

"What happened here?!" Mario asked exasperatingly.

"_Cackletta…" _Klevar whispered. _"She…attacked…"_

"_We were no match…" _Misstar continued. "_She used the Power Stars to overwhelm us…and unleash the Great Star…"_

The plumber's eyes widened. "No…it's too late?! She killed you all?! That monster!"

"_It's too late for us now, Mario. What you see before you is just a sample of our life force, set aside so we can last in the living world for a bit longer. Soon we will become nothing, a fate shared by all."_

"No…no, this can't happen!"

"_We…were watching over you, Mario…we know what you've done in Rogueport and what you've learned…" _Skolar spoke.

"W-why?"

"_Merlon's visions were because of us…we were the ones who planned for you to go there to quell the rising darkness…" _Mamar included.

Skolar nodded. _"One day, we felt an ominous presence start to grow…a dark, force gaining strength…" _

"Oblivion?" Mario asked in hopes of a confirmation.

"_We don't know…" _was the disappointing response. _"But, we'd think so…Cackletta's appearance and the X-naut army reformed…such things should be impossible! The characteristics of life and death have been tampered with, and we don't have that kind of knowledge on the happenings of the underwhere…"_

"_Mario…"_ Eldstar repeated. _"The Four Treasures are a part of the planet's life force…do you know what will happen if they are removed from their rightful places? The world will be thrown into chaos! The sheer power given to the wielders will bring devastation! The Earth will crumble without the treasures! Even now, with only the Great Star disturbed…havoc is guaranteed!"_

"I understand. I will stop the madness and recover the Treasures no matter what."

"_Thank you…" _Eldstar mumbled, relieved. _"But don't think it to be easy. We fear the worst, and if that is what we think it is…then you're no match for the evils that wait."_

"What can I do? Is there anything that can stand up to the Great Star?"

"_Not that we know of. But, we will use the last of our life to aid you…" _Klemar noted.

"_Our final gift…"_ Muskolar said.

"_We will transfer our remaining essence to you, and forever give you our abilities. The hero of prophecy will command star power." _Eldstar commanded.

With those words, the seven stars started to crackle much more violently. They circled Mario quickly, enchantingly. They faded in and out with a spectacular glow, and he could only catch a few words.

"_I believe this was fate…destiny decided for us to give you power…"_

"_When we disappear, you will gain knowledge of your newfound abilities-"_

"_-similar to what we used to help you back when Bowser attacked."_

The light continued to shine brighter and brighter, so large it threatened to envelop all.

And then it was over. The light disappeared, and there was only one left, at the base of Star Way.

Mario heard one more voice speak to him before it died; finally destroying what was left of the Star Spirits.

"_With the use of this power, you can achieve the unachievable. And you will be known as…"_

_-_

_Some time later…_

_-_

Peach hated this. First Cackletta demolishes the castle. Then, Luigi is knocked out for an indefinite amount of time. Then a horrible earthquake. And _then_, she learns that Star Haven has been wrecked, and reports of Mario returning.

She didn't know what to do. She couldn't make sense of what was occurring. Things were going bad, and seemed to only get worse in the future, and she felt powerless.

Luigi lay on his bed unconscious, as usual. She sighed before resting her chin on her palm in thought.

Suddenly, the door opened. Peach's eyes widened instantly as a familiar red and blue uniform came into blue. Tears welled in her eyes.

"Mario!" She shouted as she ran and hugged him tightly. She was crying freely, happiness enveloping her being as Mario clutched her tightly, happy that she was okay.

He glanced at Luigi, his eyes softening.

"Bro…I'll avenge you, I swear it!"

Peach let go and stared at the younger brother. "He was doing fine; really…the battle could have gone either way…"

"What happened?" Mario asked.

"Then all of a sudden, he changed! His eyes were grey, he talked differently, and he used guns to fight. He mocked Cackletta and looked down on her. And he called himself by _that _name again."

Mario nodded. She didn't have to say it. _That_ name, the name of the one who had seemingly become the dominant personality of Luigi. The one who was devious. Cunning. Villainous.

"And then?" he asked solemnly.

"He mopped the floor with her and was about to kill her when he thrashed around a lot. Luigi turned back to normal, but Cackletta used the moment to knock him out with a weird attack. They then took the rest of the Power Stars and fled."

Mario nodded.

"I see. When I went to Rogueport, I met up with my old partners, but we were attacked by a fleet of X-nauts. As we fought them off, I met up with Wario and we assaulted their airship. We rescued Goombella and the hostages, and drove away the legion. Afterwards, we used what we had learned about the Four Treasures - which I will explain later - to predict what was happening. I then came here and found out that Star Haven was destroyed."

The princess shouted. "What happened? That's what caused the Earthquake, isn't it?"

"Cackletta happened. She killed the Star Spirits. But they used some life force to stay amongst the living for a bit longer, before they gave their powers to me."

He continued on to explain the Four Treasures, _The Book of Infinite Truth_, and Oblivion. By the time she was done, Peach was ready to break into a cold sweat.

"That's horrible…" she whispered, afraid. "So many relics of the past are rising again to repeat terrible history!"

"Yes…" Mario agreed. "Peach…the future we promised us, after Bowser died…the happy days together without worry…"

"…" She knew what was going to come.

"What we envision…it will have to wait. With this kind of evil growing, we must think of the world before ourselves."

"I know…" she finally said after sniffing lightly. She'd finally thought that good times were upon them – and then this happened.

She was about to continue when they were interrupted by a heavy grunt. They darted towards Luigi, who had begun to stir.

"Bro! Weegee!" Mario shouted, clutching the thrashing plumber. Peach had to help hold down the man in green, who was dashing around so violently that he might fall. A few minutes of struggle passed before he pushed them both off of him in a fit of rage. Slowly, he raised - his eyes dashing open in anticipation.

"Lui-" Mario's voice trailed off as he saw that his Brother seemed unusual. He had a dark aura about him, and silently shivered when his pale-grey eyes darted towards him. There was a moment of silence, before _he_ smiled.

_He_ had returned.

"**Finally, I'm back…**" Mr. L said defiantly. "**Green Thunder has made his appearance, ladies and gentlemen! Where's the encore?**"

**-**

**Sorry to leave a cliffhanger, folks, but you'll have to wait until next chapter! Things are really going to heat up, now, with Mario regrouping with Peach and Luigi but staring into the eyes of Mr. L! What will happen now? And what will they do about the Treasures?**


	11. MISTER L

**Chapter 11**

_MISTER L_

"**Aaah…"** Mr. L exhaled in relief. **"Finally, I'm free. The fresh air, the bright sky, a whole world invites my revival!"** He put his hand to his chin in thought. **"There's so much to do…where do I start?"**

He stood there, pondering, completely ignoring the stunned princess and plumber beside him. **"Aha! First, I'll congratulate myself on my L-ovely plan. That's what a true mastermind does." **He looked up to the ceiling, cracking a maniacal grin.

"**Yes! Forcing Luigi to lose to that hag was the best thing I could've done! While he was near death and weak in will, I was given the chance to wrestle control over this body! Finally, that chump moved over for a **_**real**_** man. Now I can go out and show the world that Mr. L is back, intact, and complete with a whole new mean on him!" **

Suddenly, he whipped his head towards Mario and Peach. **"Well hello, Sirjumpsalot and Pinknfrilly, it's been a while hasn't it? No, wait - it'd be crueler for me to address you by your real names, wouldn't it? **_**Mario**_** and **_**Peach**_**…" **The older brother did not move. He was stricken with painful astonishment.

"Y-you…" Peach stuttered as she tried to find her breath. "You're back…"

"**-And better than ever!"** The grey-eyed man sneered. He glanced at Mario. **"I heard everything,"** he spoke with a superior tone. **"The Four Treasures, huh? They balance the planet, and this bad guy from years ago is after it? Sounds interesting…I want in."**

"Wh-what?" the princess stammered. "You can't, that's…the world is at risk here!"

"**Please, kidnap queen! The world will survive! But the prospect of ultimate power is pretty nice…I think I'll use them for my own devices. L-ater! I've got some treasures to catch. Delfino Plaza for the Grand Shine, right?"**

Mr. L gave one last smirk before he started to stroll to the door. He only made one step before Mario pounced. The plumber dashed towards the Green Thunder, ducking under his raised arm and grabbing a fistful of his shirt, slamming him into the wall.

"How did you get here?!?" Mario shouted, teeth grinding and his irritation obvious. Mr. L smirked, and was pressed harder into the wall.

"**What are you talking about? It's me, your **_**dear**_** brother. I'd expect you to cry in joy, not interrogate your flesh and blood!**"

"You're not him! You're that monster who invaded his body and you better get out right now! Don't think I'm not willing to hurt you!" He continued to provoke him by shoving into the wall again.

"'_**That**_** monster?' What could you possibly mean by that?**"

"I know you. You talk differently, act differently, and sound differently. I will never mistake that despicable voice of yours."

"**Heh. That's it, jumpsalot?**" the dark being said. "**I just sound differently because I'm not used to having control between us. If you want, I can sound just…like…**him..."

Mario's eyes flashed. That last word he uttered had an innocent ring to it…exactly like his brother.

He refused to believe that Mr. L existed as more than a negative specter in Luigi's mind.

"Listen, _brother_. I am Luigi."

"YOU LIE!" 

"Truth. You remember how I appeared out of nowhere during your adventure in Flipside? I was born out of the darkness harbored in my other side. Every negative emotion built up inside of him was exploited by Nastasia and given life and purpose – me. Even after I was betrayed by that idiot clown, and my chump of a good half took control over the body, I still lived inside of him! I am the manifestation of everything he suppresses!" Mr. L gripped onto Mario's shoulder.

"I AM Luigi! I am the embodiment of his hate, bitterness and jealously of YOU!"

There was a strong silence between the two. The only thing they shared was the bitter look found in their eyes. Mario whispered.

"You're wrong. I won't believe it." His palm clenched even harder on Mr. L's clothes. "We're brothers, we love each other. Family wouldn't resent each other like that."

"**Ha! What a fool! Nothing is fine and dandy like that!"** The brother rebuked.** "You're just a pompous plumber! If we were ever as close as you say we were, why'd you go out and steal the spotlight all the time? We're the Mario **_**Brothers**_**. We did things together. But who got all the attention? You. Who was lauded as a hero? You. They never even gave me a thought. Now you don't even bother to bring me along, you just go and do things yourself because you want all the love."**

With that statement, Mario was stunned. Seizing the opportunity, Mr. L smacked away his brother's arm and shoved him to the floor. He slinked up towards his fallen brother, stroking his own moustache in perverse glee.

"**Always remember this, Mario. I despise you.**"

Mario was visibly shaken. Mr. L began to walk away.

"**You know**," he mentioned as he started walking out of the room, "**His consciousness is still there. Currently I'm in charge of the body, but if you were able to suppress me by knocking me unconscious, Luigi will have a chance to wrestle control from me**." He gave his brother a hand taunt, smirking. "**If you have the guts, attack me right now. I'll even give you a free shot! Knock me out and rescue that shell of a personality you love so!**"

Peach gasped. Mario trembled, but found that he was unable to move.

"**Hah! That's what I thought!**" Mr. L's hands returned to the stroking of his moustache.

"**You're weak,"** he stated. His monotonous voice dripped out of his throat and pierced Mario. "**You can't accept that someone so close dislikes you**."

Silence, again, before Peach tried to interrupt. She could only open her mouth in opposition before everyone's attention was diverted.

-

"Emergency!" A snifit cried as he bumbled his way into the room, fighting with a beanbean retainer who shouted the same phrases. "Emergency!"

"Sarasaland is in danger! We're being attacked by-" his shrill voice was cut off when the retainer shoved him to the side.

"My news is much more important! The Beanbean Kingdom has been assaulted by villains! A gargantuan frog and his cohorts' have-" he too was cut off as he was sent to the floor by the recovered snifit.

"**Girls, girls!**" Mr. L repeated with amusement. "**Don't get your panties in a twist!"** He snatched the diplomatic letter handed out by the Sarasalian messenger. "**You said there was a problem going on with Sarasaland, right? Continue.**"

The panicked snifit soon calmed down and caught his breath before starting. "The Sarasaland royal palace has been attacked with machine-like abominations! They claim to work for a "Smithy" and is devastating our land in search of the "Demon's Star"! I don't know what it is, but they mentioned something about the 4 treasures…"

Mr. L's eyes snapped away from the S.O.S. letter he was reading, and hoisted up the snifit by the collar. "**Is this true?!?**" He barked, anxious. "**Did you hear that?!?**"

"Y-Yes, I did…!" The snifit stuttered in fear. He was promptly dropped to the floor.

"**Excellent!**" The villain replied. "**This is the perfect chance to grab a treasure **_**and**_** rescue my girl! I'll just need some good clothes and equipment, and I'll head down there!**"

Mr. L attempted to leave once again, but a gloved hand latched onto his arm. Mario.

"I refuse to let you go…" he muttered.

Mr. L gave him an odd look before breaking into the voice that sounded distinctly like the original Luigi.

"Remember this," he said in anger. "I will make it my mission to crush you at your strongest, and prove I am the better brother. I'm sick of you taking the light. Next time we meet, I will be out to kill. You'd better be prepared to fight with a harmful intention if you want to win."

Immediately following that, Mr. L shrugged off his brother's grip and sauntered out the room, leaving an emotionally shattered plumber and princess in his wake.


End file.
